It's Complicated
by The Calm Spy
Summary: Abigail Hienfield has always wanted to live a normal life, but that dream is thrown away when she becomes one of Stark Industries' interns. She learns a few things about herself and others around her that makes her realize normal isn't as cracked up as it sounds. Follow her as she is thrown into a handful of family secrets and discovers that she isn't as alone as she thinks.
1. Turn of Events

**"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions**

 **that can change your life forever"  
**

 **-Keri Russel**

* * *

 **March 28, 2003  
**

 **Abigail's P.O.V.**

"This must be the place." I muttered, looking up at the tall building standing in front of me. "Stark Industries, better living through technology."

I always thought the reason Stark Tower was so tall was so it could intimidate the other buildings. That and the fact Tony Stark was the most arrogant man you could ever meet.

I wasn't sure if it actually did put fear in his competitors, but it was definitely doing a number on me because twenty minutes later I was pacing outside the building, wondering whether or not to go inside. I was probably late by now. "Okay, you can do this. Besides, they chose me." I took a deep breath and nodded to myself. "Okay, it's now or never." I mustered up all my confidence, within that moment, and pushed through the swinging double doors.

I stopped short once inside and observed my surroundings. There was no way I could do this. For one, everyone around me was in professional wear. Not a jean jacket or converse in sight, which was exactly what I was wearing. I probably should've planned my outfit a bit better, but the only thing I did this morning was throw on the first thing I pulled out of my closet. "Nope." I shook my head and tried to make a fast escape. Hopefully, no one had noticed the out of place 17 year old.

"Abigail Hienfield?" A sweet voice rang out.

I froze in place and contemplated on turning around or still making a run for it. Maybe if I acted like I hadn't heard the woman everything would be fine. "Well?" Who was I kidding. I was caught. There was no backing out. Before turning around I shot the doorman a look of desperation. The look I received in return was one of amusement. At least someone was enjoying themselves.

"Yup, that's me." I awkwardly swung my arms back and forth and smiled weakly.

"Great." The secretary looked relatively young. Heck, I could have been her slightly older sister. "You're a bit late, but I'll see that Mr. Stane knows your here." She was definitely kind.

"Thanks."

"Please, take a seat." She motioned to a row of chairs set up near a coffee machine.

I sat down and crossed one leg over the other, than uncrossed them and crossed the other leg, than uncrossed my legs altogether. I was beyond nervous.

I silently cursed my professor for talking me into to this. He had encouraged me to apply for the internship gig a while back, when it had first been introduced to the public. It was the first time Stark Industries had opened up to the public in such a way. Of course, I doubted I would even be considered because of all the people who would be pinning for the spot. But, somehow my professor had convinced me that it would be a tremendous opportunity, and that it would be a good working experience. The job would take me out of my comfort zone.

One cup of coffee and twenty minutes later I was called into a huge office.

"It's nice to meet you Abigail." Obadiah stood from his seat and offered me his hand. "Please, sit." I shook his hand and sat down.

* * *

"I apologize, but I believe there was an error in the application you sent me." He opened a desk drawer and pulled out a small folder. "I of course was forced to look past it due to your amazing credentials. Maybe you an clear the air though." He opened the folder and slipped on a pair of glasses. "Let's see." He looked the paper over, then slipped it to me.

 _Name Abigail Hienfield_

 _D.O.B November 8, 1986  
_

 _Social # 787878787_

 _Education: Broomfield Academy for the Gifted,_ _Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)_

 _Fields of Education: Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Linguistics  
_

I looked over the application and found no flaws.

"Do you see what I'm talking about?" Obadiah looked over at me expectantly.

"Well," I set the paper down. "I'm going to school to get my masters in Chemistry with a minor in a robotics, but I think I need to graduate before that can be counted for." I let out a nervous chuckle and watched his facial expression become serious.

"You do realize it says you're only seventeen?" I stared at him blankly. "You can't be just seventeen." He spoke slower as if that would help me process what he was saying.

"Okay?..." Surely my age couldn't be the problem. I mean it was easy to tell I was seventeen. There aren't many thirty year old's walking around in jean jackets and converse. At least, not to her knowledge.

"You can't be serious." He chuckled at me.

"Well, I hope so. Either that or I've been lied to for as long as I can remember." I wore a sober expression as Obadiah looked like he was waiting for me to burst out laughing and tell him this was all some big joke. "That's not a problem is it?"

"Of course not. It's very impressive." Obadiah grimaced. He stood up from his seat. I rose from my seat when he offered me his hand to shake. "It was nice meeting you Abigail. I will take your application into serious consideration." I put on a sugar sweet smile and shook his hand. "Go down the hall and take a left, it should lead you to the exit."

'geez' I thought to myself as he ushered me out. ' _rude'_ "Thanks." I gathered my jacket and bag, then exited his enormous office. I followed his instructions, but somehow ended up in a strange part of the building. I slowed down as I noticed that I was now in a hall full of conference rooms. One of which were full of people with fancy suits and Bluetooths. They all subsequently turned their gaze in my direction. I didn't exactly enjoy like how it gave a matrix type of feel. 'Nope.' I decided to get out of there as soon as possible. I turned on my heels just to walk into to someone.

"Hmph." The man stumbled back a few steps and the papers he was holding flew everywhere. I immediately knelt down and collected the papers as they landed on the floor. "Watch it kid." The man muttered in an annoyed tone. He dusted off his suit like I had some type of virus and grimaced down at the mess.

"Watch it?" I stood up and shoved some papers in his hand before leaning down and gathering more. "You ran in to me." I collected the last of the mess and held them out to him. The man was holding the papers I handed to him before tightly against him. A few pieces were out of place and stuck out, the man himself looked very uncomfortable. He looked down at the stack I was offering him and frowned deeply. "I don't have all day. Are you gonna take them or not?"

"I don't like being handed things." He said in a tight tone. He wasn't serious? I rolled my eyes and shifted my weight to one foot.

"That is most ridicules thing I have ever heard."

"It's a pet peeve. I could have went through a very traumatic experience."

"Didn't mean to hit a soft spot, geez." I shoved the papers into his hand forcefully. "I need to find the exit." The man let all the papers drop out of his hand.

"I'm not picking that up."

"Who are you?"

"Abigail. Pleasure to meet you." I gave him a smirk and two finger solute. "You are?"

"Tony." He said like it should be obvious.

"Okay," I raised an eyebrow at him. " _Tony_ , like I said, trying to find an exit."

"Go down the hall and take a right." A woman cut in. She stopped directly behind Tony and grimaced. The woman was petite, with strawberry hair twisted in a tight bun, she was holding a clipboard close to her body. "Mr. Stark, everyone's waiting for you inside." She motioned towards the conference room. Through the window it was plain to see everyone's attention was on us. I shuddered..

"I'm just gonna go now." I made a haste getaway not bothering to look back. Only when I was outside did everything hit me like a brick. I had just ran into Tony Stark. As in owner of Stark Industries. A uneasy feeling welled in my stomach. I huffed, leaned against the outside wall of the building, and closed my eyes. I enjoyed it, until my phone began to buzz. I slid my hand in my jean pocket and pulled it out. It was Emily.

Emily was a close friend of mine. In fact it was safe to say she was my only friend. It was hard to befriend much people when you moved from place to place for the past three years. Sure, there were the people that I went to school with, but seeing that no one seemed to appreciate, or even like for that matter, the fact a person who was 4-5 years younger, was ahead of them in every class. It was safe to that no one fit under the 'school friend' category. In fact, Emily herself was five years older than me. It was by chance we happened to run into each other when I was running late to one of my classes. Emily was a bit of a loner. She didn't seem to much for surrounding herself with people. Which was perfectly fine to me.

Emily had recently came into town and invited me to meet her a small shop called, The Twisted Cafe. We had visited there once before when Emily had helped me with moving into my apartment.

I wasn't a native to New York. I had actually grown up in Chicago. My father's company was rooted there. After I had graduated high school, I wanted to go to MIT, so I moved to Massachusetts and stayed with some old family friends. After I graduated, and spent some time traveling around, I decided that I missed the city. I was certain I wanted to go back to school though. I found a nice University here in New York so I could continue my studies. New York wasn't like Chicago in a lot of ways, but it resembled the life I was accustomed to.

The Twisted Cafe was a nice cozy coffee spot. It sat on a corner and was usually bare. Honestly, it sold stale, tasteless coffee, that resembled boiled dishwater if anything else. The place had a feeling of comfort, however. It was nice and homey. There was even a small booth installed for open mike, how fun? I quickly replied to Emily, agreeing on meeting her there at 12. Which was two hours from now.

Half an hour later, I was opening the door to my apartment. I tossed my bag on the love seat centered in the living room and pulled my hair into a loose pony tail. After, I grabbed my laptop and went to the bedroom. I had to finish a research paper that was due soon and also check my bank account. Funds at the moment seemed tight, which was abnormal. Last week I had to take from my personal account to pay for some class fees. The company, Hienfield Co, was supposed to take care of costs like that. After all, my father had owned the place. I wasn't certain what was going on, but if the problems continued I was going to have to call Felicia.

Felicia Waters, the woman my parents left the company to. Scratch that, my _father_ left the company to. I loved the man, but his judgment had been poor at times. Felicia was a supposed family friend, but I didn't see her as friendly, or family. Every childhood memory, or memory in general, I had of the woman was bittersweet. It left a sour taste in my mouth just thinking about it. I shuddered slightly then pushed those thoughts aside. I really needed to start on my paper.

* * *

The Twisted Cafe

I sat at a lonely table in the corner with the seat propped back on it's hind legs. I had been rearranging the sugar packets set in a in-orderly fashion on my table, but that had gotten boring. Emily was an hour and a half late. It wasn't like her to stand people up, she would have a least called. I was beginning to worry, a lot.

"You've been here for almost an hour. Are you going to order something or what?" I glanced up to find a waitress standing over me with her hands on her hip. I gave the waitress a bitter smile.

"Sorry, I'm sure you're probably going to need this table for some other customer." I titled my head up towards her. There was nobody else insight. Excepts for a man sitting in a booth. He was reading the newspaper and sipping on a cup of coffee. Judging by his clothing, he was probably worked for some type of business. Which was normal seeing that they were in the middle of New York.

The waitress huffed. "Fine," She rolled her eyes. "take your time." She turned and began to walk away.

"Actually, I'll have a cup of chai." I called after her. The waitress pulled out her notepad and turned back to me.

"Anything else." The waitress wrote furiously on the note pad.

"Nope."

"Good." She sucked on her teeth and narrowed her eyes at me before retreating to the kitchen. I turned to the window finding nothing better to do. It was difficult to make out the figures walking past the cafe through the dirt and grime that mucked up the clear glass.

"The customer service has to be one of the best things about New York." The man sitting in the booth remarked. He let out a chuckle. I looked over at him. "New York to your liking so far?"

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"Your accent. Far from New York. Chicago maybe?" He stole a glance at me before flipping a page in his paper.

"You know, people say Chicago people have an accent, but I don't hear it."

"Of course you don't." He paused momentarily as he scanned over the page he was reading. "So, Chicago. How'd you end up here?"

"School." He nodded approvingly. The entrance bell of the coffee shop dinged signalling a possible customer. I turned my attention to the door and watched a group of men strut in. The man cleared his throat and turned another page.

"Here." The waitress set down the cup of piping hot tea down in front of me with a clank, and made her way to front of the shop to greet the group. I took a sip of my tea and gagged. Disgusting, as per usual. I watched as the waitress lead the group to a table adjacent to mine. One of them turned and looked at me and immediately I found my cup of distasteful tea the most interesting thing in the world.

"What can I get you?" I gagged at the sugar sweet voice the woman was now using. The waitress shamelessly flirting with the group was a frightful thing to see. I turned to the window and took a big gulp of my tea. As the waitress turned to leave, I heard the sound of a cup being set down harshly. I glanced over at the man in the booth to see him folding his paper and setting it down. He looked at me as he stood up and dusted off the arms of his suit.

"I'd get down if I were you." The sound of a bunch of guns being cocked filled the small dining area. I turned to see the group of men standing up from their table and aiming their guns in the man's direction. The man smiled and buttoned his suit. "I'm sure those aren't necessary."

He motioned for me to move out the way. I complied and found myself crouching under a booth table. I could only really seat the feet of everyone, but heard several gun shots go off. I winced and scooted back into the wall. One of the men fell down in front of the table. The man's face was facing me and blood was coming from his temple. The sounds of guns going off and crashing came from above until I saw three more guys fall.

"You can come out now." I cautiously crawled out from under the table to find the booth guy was the only one left standing. The waitress was crouched behind the front counter and her whimpering was loud enough to be heard.

"Who were those men?" I breathed heavily.

"I'm not sure."

"Do you at least know why they came after you?" I examined the damage the cafe had suffered with wide eyes and then looked at the man who had done it.

"I'm not the one they were after." He picked up the newspaper and grabbed a couple bills from his jacket. "I'm not done reading the sports section." He set the money on the table and stuck the newspaper inside his jacket's inner pocket. I stood there in shock and watched as the man exited.

He re-entered and look at me expectantly. "Are you coming?" He held the door open with an why-are-you-still-standing-there expression on his face.

"Uh-" My mouth hung open.

"I know. It's a lot to take in." He gave me a calming smile. "I'll explain on the way. I'm special agent Coulson by the way." He held out his hand to me. "It's nice to finally meet you Abigial."

"How do you know my name?"

"Like I said it's a lot to take in. I explain on the way." The guy from the booth was beginning to look a whole lot more interesting.

* * *

"I'm with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division." We slowly made our way down main street. I snorted in disgust. "You familiar with the agency then?"

"Very." I was familiar with the Shield because they had been keeping an eye on me since I was a child. It all started when I was born. My vitals and blood tests came back abnormal, but the doctor who delivered me decided to keep that information private, according to my mother. There seemed to be no signs of powers, or abnormalities, until I was six. I had frequent occurrences of what can be described as deja vu.

My parents began to worry when I began to talk about events that would happen hours, days, even weeks later. That's when they were contacted by Shield. According to what I was told by my parents, when I had these instances of 'deja vu' high energy levels would emit off of me. That's how Shield got involved. My parents weren't sure what to do. They were afraid. So, they decided to work with Shield to find a 'cure', if you will. They passed away before any progress was made, but they did create a medicine to help control them.

"We're here to help you."

"Which means?"

"We'll be keeping our eye on you." I sighed.

* * *

Coulson' s P.O.V.

Coulson stopped at an old brick and mortar building and turned to Abigail. "In the mean time be careful." Abigail looked up to the building and instantly recognized it. They seemed to only be walking for a few minutes. Yet, here they were right in front of her apartment. She gave Coulson a suppressed smile.

"Sounds like the usual Shield business." She skipped up the steps and entered the building. Coulson stood watching her as she did so. A few moments later his phone began to ring.

"Hello."

"How did it go?" On the other line was the one and only Nick Fury.

"You were right. They tried to attack."

"Of course."

"Any news on Agent Brown?"

"Not yet. I'm sending my best agents as we speak."

"If you don't mind me asking. Why are they attacking now?"

"I don't know, yet. You read her file correct?"

"Of course."

"Then you know how imperative it is we keep her safe."

"I have to say. I was skeptical, but the resemblance is uncanny."

"It is." There was distant chattering on Fury's end. "We'll continue this conversation later."

"Of course. Until then director." Coulson hung up the phone and stole one more glance the apartment building. He felt sorry for the girl. She had no idea what was coming her way.

* * *

 **A/N: So, here's the new chapter! It did take a while to write, and I apologize. I changed some things which may affect the story later on. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and don't forget to Fave and Follow!  
**

 **What did you think? Let me know by reviewing...Lillyxxx**


	2. Acceptance Letters

**"What's the point of growing up**

 **if you can't be childish sometimes?"**

 **-The Doctor**

* * *

 **Abigail**

It has been three weeks and I had yet to hear anything from Stark Industries.

I was going beside myself with anxiety. What if they found a better candidate? That was beyond impossible right? What other seventeen year old genius is there? Okay, that sounded a bit conceded. There are other very important factors to consider. For example, maturity (though may not be that important seeing that Tony Stark was the CEO), there was also the controversy in hiring someone so young, but it was an internship so. Okay, let's face it I was beyond qualified for the position. I might as well been Tony Stark himself considering I saw only myself fit. However, being a little confident in yourself is such a bad thing, right? Ugh! No. I really needed to stop.

I needed something to occupy my mind, because sitting around waiting for a stupid phone call, letter, text, heck they could even send a messenger bird through the window, wasn't doing any good for me.

I needed some fresh air. I had been cooped up inside for pretty much the duration of the time between meeting Coulson, and now. I was beginning to feel like a dirty old Hermit, who only left the house when the promise of food was involved. Which was the only reason I left the apartment at the moment, but that was only when delivery wasn't an option. In my defense, the promise that as soon as I stepped out that door I was going to be hunted down, by a bunch of burly dudes, was good enough an excuse to hide away from the outside for the rest of my life, or at least until whoever was tracking me down was no longer interested. Which ever one came first. At least that was until I had had my 15th container of slightly over cooked, re-fried rice. Who knew getting tired of Chinese take out was actually possible? I sure didn't.

So, the first thing that came to mind when I woke up from my 3rd nap that day was, 'I need to get out of here.' Which is exactly what I did, after taking a five minute shower (not including my little performance, using my shampoo bottle as a makeshift microphone), trying to do my hair in some fancy twist trash (which just ended up being a head full of knots and a messy, frizzed out bun), then downing some orange chicken, and changing my outfit over and over (ten times to be exact).

Once that was done I was ready to show myself to the world once more. There was no plan. Maybe wander around Central park for a bit. I hadn't taken a walk there in some time. It had been a good month if I recalled correctly. I shoved my hands in the pockets and hit the sidewalk.

The park was a peaceful place. Children scattered around the playground, but there were very few people on the trails. Being early April it was cool outside. I took a deep breath of the fresh air and began down my favorite bike trail.

* * *

The sun set long ago and I had just walked through the door of my apartment. I was shuffling through the mail. The local mailman ran on his own schedule. Delivering anytime of the day he felt like, or not coming at all. Which explained why it was nearly nine in the evening and me along with my fellow neighbors were just rummaging through their mail slots. I sighed as I went through the monthly bills among other things. My heart dropped as I neared the end of the stack. I knew better than to get my hopes up. It was reasonable to believe that if Stark Industries hadn't contacted me after this long, than they probably found a better candidate. Though, it was unlikely whoever they chose could have a better record than me. Academically speaking of course. Experience wise, I only recalled the few times my father let me sit in his labs while he worked. He took time to teach me things here and there and maybe let me work on something. I shuddered as I recalled those memories, not all of them were pleasant.

There it was. The last envelope in the stack. I turned it over and huffed. It was some letter for my neighbor. I tossed the mail on my table then rummaged through my fridge to find something to eat. While sitting on the counter contently watching the food heat in the microwave, I heard a light knocking on my door. I ignored it at first, but the whoever was at the door was persistent. I sighed and jumped off my counter top.

"Umm hi." I head lowered to see a young boy standing in my doorway. I eased up on my grip of the door handle. When I opened the door I wasn't sure what to expect, but the young boy was barely a threat. Maybe a bit annoying, but not threatening. I recognized him. He lived in the apartment across from me with who I believed to be his grandmother. On a few occasions, we had rode the lift up together. He was the quite type. Maybe around twelve?

"Hey." I leaned against the door frame in a nonchalant way. I gave him a small smile and watched him cower in return. I never thought myself the intimidating type. Maybe it was just his shy demeanor.

"Uh, my Nana sent me up here to give you this." His arm shut out with a letter in hand. I looked down and gently took it from him. "She said the mail man accidentally stuck it in our mail box."

"Um, thanks." I recalled the envelope that the mail man had put in my mailbox. "Hold on a second kid." I retreated back into my apartment and retrieved the wrongly delivered piece of mail that was thrown on my kitchen counter. "Here." I handed it to him. He observed and looked back up at me.

"Thanks?" I turned my attention his apartment as a elderly woman appeared in the doorway.

"Scotty it doesn't take that long to deliver a piece of mail." The woman snapped as she stepped out from the doorway a bit. The boy muttered a goodbye and then retreated back into the apartment. His grandmother gave me a once over before closing the door.

'Well then.' I thought as I closed my own door and locked it.

I froze when I saw who the letter came from, Stark Industries. I held my breath as I opened the envelope like it was the most fragile thing in the world.

 _ **Dear Miss Hienfield,**_

 _ **After much thought and consideration, you have been chosen for our internship program.**_

I didn't bother to read the rest. A huge smile spread across my face. I had gotten in.

* * *

 **Tony**

Tony climbed up the stairs that led into his private jet with Pepper hot on his trail. He turned and watched her scurry up the stairs after him. Her heels caused her to trip a few a times. He chuckled, but quickly stopped when she scolded him. He cleared his throat and took a seat near the window.

"Mr. Stark, would you like a drink?" The flight attendant was by his side in an instant. Tony eyed the woman before putting on his signature smirk.

"Of course."

"No." Pepper interrupted as she took her preferred seat away from the window. She set her stuff down on the table sitting in front of her and looked over a Tony. "I'd prefer if you were sober while we talked business, Mr. Stark."

"Pepper, we haven't even taken off yet and you've already broken my 'no business' rule." He turned back to the attendant. "Surprise me, on the rocks."

"You promised to get some work done during the flight."

"Yea, and I also promised to give a speech at the World Trade Fair, but we both know that's not gonna happen."

"Mr. Stark-"

"Listen, this trip is supposed to be stress free and scheduling meetings and crunching numbers, doesn't exactly fit into that category."

"Mr. Stark, believe it or not, but there's more to life than just having a blast."

"Cara, you're a angel." He remarked as the flight attendant set his drink down. "But, I asked for two."

"I apologize. I'll-"

"No, it's fine. I guess I'll just have to share mine with you." He cheered no one in particular and then took a long drink. Pepper huffed and pulled out her phone, which had beeped. "But get Pepper one, will you?" He winked.

"Of course." The flight attendant giggled before retreating to the back.

"Her name's not Cara." Pepper deadpanned without looking up.

Tony sighed exasperatedly and slouched in his chair. This was going to be a long flight.

* * *

 **A/N: This is a short chapter, but I'll be posting another one soon. So, keep an eye out.  
**

 **What did you think? Let me know by reviewing...Lillyxxx**


	3. Meeting Allison

**There are no strangers here;**

 **Only friends you haven't met yet**

 **-William Butler Yeats**

* * *

 **April 17, 2003**

 **Abigail  
**

I was most definitely flustered on my first day as an intern. I had woken up early, tore my entire closet apart in hopes to find something presentable, and was about three minutes behind schedule. The train had come late. As soon as the breaks of the subway train came to a screeching halt, and the doors had opened, I was out and making my way up the stairs that led to the sidewalk. I couldn't be late on my first day. Especially since I had made such an amazing first impression on Tony Stark himself. (Note the sarcasm)

Before I knew it, I was pushing through the doors of the research facility. The place was right on the outskirts of Staten Island. I heaved over and caught my breath. I had ran about four blocks.

"Abigail Hienfield?" A pleasant voice interrupted my hyperventilating. I noticed a pair of heels standing in front of me. I regained my composure and was met face to face with the woman they belonged to.

"Y-yes."

"Oh good! You're a bit early, but that's just fine." I deflated, huffed, and placed my hands on my hips. The woman offered me her hand. "Andrea Wallace. You can just call me Andrea." I shook Andrea's hand. Andrea was a petite woman, maybe in her mid-thirties, long auburn hair, vivid green eyes. Her composure gave off the idea that she meant business. Despite her friendly smile. "You know it's nice to finally meet you. Mr. Stane said your resume was quite impressive."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes. I'm am looking forward to working for you." She began to lead me through the facility. "For the week or so you will be shadowing me, or until I am certain you know the ropes. Then you will be serving as intern for Dr. Harrison. This is lab I." We stopped at a lab type room. I nodded and continued to listen as Andrea spoke about the program. She was was such a chatty person.

" Andrea you are needed in the archives." A worker interrupted Andrea's speech on how she was certain Abigail was going to enjoy it there.

"I'll be there in a moment." She turned to me. "Do you mind hanging here for a moment?" I shrugged. "Great, I'll be back soon." As Andrea ran off to take care of whatever, I found interest in the girl sitting at one of the lab computers. She was dressed street clothes, and had her pink streaked, blonde, hair tied up in a messy ponytail. She looked stressed as she hunched over the computer sitting before her. I sighed and leaned against the experiment table as I watched the girl. She was relatively young. Which brought me to question the girl's position there at the facility. She couldn't be one of the workers, could she?

After a moment, I decided to speak up and break the silence. "I'm Abigail." I watched as the girl let out some strange noise of frustration and began slamming her hand on the keyboard, aggressively. I raised an eyebrow as I watched the girl take her anger out on the keyboard. I was curious about what on earth the girl was doing. I came behind the girl and leaned in to get a better look computer. "Watcha doing."

The girl jumped back causing the seat she was sitting in to ram in to Abigail. Abigail let out a groan and rubbed her stomach where the chair hit.

"Can you not do that?" The girl said in a annoyed tone.

"Could you not ram your chair into me?" I countered. "What did I do anyway?"

"You sneaked up on me."

"Maybe if you weren't too busy beating the keyboard you would have heard." I held my hand out. "Abigail."

"Alison." Alison didn't bother shaking my hand. Instead she looked at it judgmentally and chose to ignore it.

"So what are you doing."I leaned in to inspect the computer. "Ooh, who are we hacking?"

"Someone's nosy."

"Rookie." I mumbled not paying any mind to her.

"Excuse me?" I received a glare from the side as Allison exited out of her work.

"You're SQL Injection coding is sloppy."

"That's really none of your business." I stepped out of the way as Alison got up from her seat and began to gather papers thrown array on the experiment table. I took Alison's place and pulled back up the page Allison exited out of.

"I could help you, y'know?"

"Listen, it doesn't concern you."

"Right, 'cause you have everything under control." I said in a passive tone as I scanned over everything.

"Then what would you suggest?" I picked up on the annoyed tone Alison was using.

"Well," I began typing. "You could use a keylogger, but of course you'd have to modify it so it doesn't only get current actions, but past ones too. You are hacking someone's computer right?" I looked over at Alison, but did not stop typing.

"I don't know how to change a keylogger."

"I do." I flashed smile and turned back to the computer.

"Aren't you going to ask what it's for?"

"Depends, does it have to do with a dangerous organization that is secretly plotting to take out some powerful figure and then destroy the world."

"What!? No."

"Then, no thank you."I filled the gaps and added what was needed in the coding. For nearly anybody this would take a good two hours. For me? Fifteen minutes, tops. Once finished, I scanned over my work 'cause you can never be too careful when hacking. "Done." I sat back satisfied and looked over to Alison who had made herself comfy beside me.

"Are you sure it'll work?" Alison asked taking interest in her hands.

"Relax, the only thing you have to worry about is the battery charges the keyboard may or may not press for the beating you gave it." I joked which didn't seem to calm Alison's nerves. I couldn't help but notice the way Allison picked at her thumb nervously. "Listen," I decided to try another way to appease Alison's nerves. "It's unlikely that anyone will be able to get through my coding and even if someone could it would send them on a wild goose chase. Besides, it's not like you're hacking Tony Stark or something." Alison chuckled nervously. "Whatever." I mumbled as I watched my coding do it's work.

"I'm sorry I took so long." Andrea said as she strode back in the room. "Oh, good. You've met Allison. Being the only interns, the two of you will be working together a lot."

"The only interns?"

"That's right." Andrea beamed.

"I thought there was only supposed to be one."

"Well, yes, but Mr. Stane said that the two of you were just so extraordinary, that he couldn't just choose one. Actually, Ally here just started yesterday." Alison gave a wary smile and then dropped to the sidelines. 'That's odd' I thought to herself. "Let's continue with the tour." Andrea ushered me out of the first lab and lead me down a long hallway.

"And this is the archives." Andrea smiled proudly as we entered the decent sized storage like room. Dozens of books and files sat on shelves that made rows in the room. "This is where I spend most of my time. Which is why it is so neat."

"Really?" I looked around in amazement. Rows and rows of books and dead end experiments. my eyes were wide with excitement. Out of all of the rooms I had been shown today, this was the mosdt exciting.

"Mhmm, you should have seen the place before I showed up. It was a nightmare." Andrea shuddered. "Now, since you'll be working with me for sometime there are some rules you must follow. Let me get you something to write these down." She disappeared into the maze of bookshelves and came back seconds later with a notepad and pencil. I advise you to write the vertical way. That way you can fit everything." I scoffed to myself and began to list the rules as Andrea explained each.

Maybe she was right. I was going to like it here.

* * *

 **Tony**

 _ **Miami, FL**_

Tony had been stuffed down in his lab for the past week. He only emerged when he needed to eat, or restock his liquor collection. He had turned Jarvis' voice volume low so he could concentrate. Which is why Tony didn't hear him greet Obediah as he entered.

" _Welcome."_

"Don't tell me you're working on one of those silly projects of yours, Tony." He jumped at the sound of Obediah's voice behind him. He quickly exited out of what he was on and brought up the missile designs that needed to be done soon.

Tony had been working on some theory he had about the DNA structure. He believed that if he dissected it enough, he could discover the entire history of a human being. It seemed a bit pretentious and it wasn't the normal type of stuff he worked on, but it was interesting enough to catch his eye. He was certain it was something Obediah would disapprove of, however. Which is why Tony cursed Jarvis for not giving him enough time to put away his research. Even though it was partially his fault for turning the volume down in the first place.

"It's research for the, uh, design." Tony said quickly as he shuffled through the array of papers sitting on one of his many tables. He was searching for the notes he had taken for the new missile design. They had been buried under stacks of things after deemed unimportant and uninteresting.

"Right." Obediah looked displeased about the state of Tony and more importantly the progress on the missiles. The U.S. military force was their biggest clients and he had made it clear he wanted to keep it that way. "It's good to see your alive still, I suppose."

"Depends on your definition." He heard Obe scoff. "How's the company?"

"Good. I actually came here to talk about our newest edition."

"Newest edition? Are getting another facility or something?"

"No, no, Tony" Obe pinched the bridge of his nose. "The intern?"

"Right, the assistant."

"Intern."

"Same thing."

"Tony."

"Right, continue."

"Like I was saying, the intern, is quite impeccable."

"Does he have a name?" Tony had victoriously found the notes. He pulled him out of the mess of papers and set them on his much tidier desk.

"Her name is Abigail Hienfield."

"That's nice." He said passive tone.

"Hienfield."

"Yea, I heard you. Abigail Hienfield." Tony shrugged and gathered his tool box. He heard Obediah sigh loudly.

"I want you to meet her." He paused.

"Yea no." He set his tools down in front of the model missile he was working on and laid down on his back to get under the device. He heard Obediah sigh.

"Just consider it."

"Thanks, but I'm good."

"Tony do me a favor." He scooted out from under the missile and looked up at Obediah expectantly. "Finish the prototype." Tony rolled his eyes and went back under.

"Sure." He mumbled in a annoyed tone.

"I'll be off then." Tony waited until he was notified of Obediah's departure to go back to his desk and continue his research. He pushed himself off the floor with the moan. He back was killing him from sitting, hunched over, in his desk chair for a good number of hours. He rubbed his back and picked up an envelope that was misplaced on his desk. Obediah must have set it there. He turned it over and read what was written on the front

 _Abigail Hienfield_

Tony let out a scoff and chucked it into his waste basket.

"So much for my vacation."


	4. Kids with Money

**Adults are just kids with money.  
**

* * *

 **Tony**

Tony Stark was at it again. It was as if one moment he was trudging around his mansion in slippers and a robe and the next he was brushing up beside some blonde. He wasn't sure how everything happened. Maybe it was because he had skipped out on partying for the last two weeks. Which was true as surprising as it sounded.

This party had initially started the day before. It was a good thing most parties he went to didn't stop until about a week later.

Some idiot hacked into Jarvis. So, he spent the night running repairs and troubleshoot. But, you can only stay cooped up inside for so long before you start going insane. He knew he had to get out of the lab. Either that, or he was going to do something that him, and especially Pepper, would regret.

Speaking of Pepper. The woman had been working nonstop. Something was egging at her and despite him not having to, Tony cared about her well being. She was going to snap any day now. He could feel it. In fact, even though he gave her the day off, she was at his mansion working at this very moment. While he on the other hand stood in the middle of a crowd of women and tried to decide which one to take home with him.

Who knows? He might splurge and take them all. Forget the Maserati he came in. Happy as going to have to run out and get the limo. Speaking of Happy. Where the hell was he?

"Ladies, please, there's enough of me for all of you," he winked at the brunette purring at his side. Her arms were wrapped around his torso and judging by the type grip, she wasn't planning on letting go anytime soon. That may be a slight problem in the near future. He smiled wearily. 'What a day,' he thought to himself as another woman handed him a martini with a seductive smile on her face. He took a sip and smirked. "Thank you sweetheart."

"My pleasure," she twirled a piece of her hair in between her fingers.

'What a day indeed.' The brunette let her hands travel lower which caused Tony to jump. "Oh," he chuckled uncomfortably and tried his best to pry her hand away. "Careful," the woman giggled a bit too much. His smile faltered.

Maybe this was a bad idea.

The club was beginning to feel muggy. Had it always been this hot? Or were his nerves getting to him? "How about we get out of here?" A woman crept up behind Tony and whispered in his ear. Chills ran down his back and not the good kind. He swallowed thickly and scanned the place for Happy.

"Maybe next time," he pulled the woman at his side off of him. He tried his best to push through the crowd, but it was difficult considering he tripped every five seconds.

"Are you alright?" A woman stopped him. Her deep red lips in a fake pout. He took a few steps back as she reached out and placed a hand on his chest. He cleared his throat.

"Sorry sweetheart," Tony watched a strong pair of hands pulled the woman back. "You alright, boss?" It was Happy. Tony exhaled in relief.

"Where were you."

"Chatting up the women I met at the bar. She was quite a-"

"I'll get you one for you're birthday. Let's get out of here," he made a beeline for the exit and inhaled deeply as soon as the cold air hit him. Tony took a moment to gather himself. He leaned against the wall and used the end of his tie to dab his forehead.

"You okay?"

"Just bring the car around." Tony waved him off.

"Right away, sir." Happy scurried off to the parking lot.

He didn't know what was wrong with him. It was just strange. All those people, but none of them cared about him- The real Tony Stark. They only cared about what Tony Stark was supposed to be. A non-stop partier who, if you were lucky enough to sleep with, may send a strings of pearls your way. There was nothing more to him.

Maybe that was all he was meant to be. After all, no one told him differently.

The car beeped, bringing him out of his thoughts. He grimaced at the man in the driver's seat

"I'm driving." Happy gave him a pointed look.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" He straightened himself out and strode over to the car. He ended up tripping over his feet and catching himself by grabbing onto the car door handle. "Yea, you should probably drive."

"Where to, sir?"

"Home and drive slow." He pulled out a small flask he hid in his breast pocket and took a large swig of the unforgiving velvety liquid that was stored inside.

"Yes sir."

* * *

"Where were you?!" Tony stumbled through the front door and didn't make it very far before he nearly face-planted. Pepper stood from the couch with a livid look on her face. Her eyes were narrowed, lips in a thin line, and hand resting tightly on her hips.

"Relax," he was forced to grip the in table for support. A sinking feeling welled in his stomach. This wasn't going to end well. "I'm here now."

"You were supposed to be on a flight back to New York two hours ago," she leaned in and sniffed his breath. The stench of alcohol was clear as day and so was the scent of cheap women's perfume. "You went to the stupid club, didn't you?" She rolled her eyes in disgust.

"I-" Tony doubled over. The contents that spewed from his mouth went all over Pepper's shoes. "I'm gonna need a second," His legs gave out from under him.

"Woa." Happy jumped forward and caught him before he hit the floor.

"I can't believe you let him go there." Pepper pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I'm just the driver." Happy held up his hands in defense.

"And the body guard!" Pepper screamed. Her hands went up in frustration. "You're supposed to care about his well being."

"I'm not a babysitter, Pepper." Happy dragged Tony's body over to the couch. "I guard him. He's a grown man. He does whatever he likes, I just make sure he doesn't get hurt while doing it. Getting drunk doesn't hurt him, it hurts his liver."

"That made no sense what so ever," she shook her head. "I can't do this anymore."

"Pepper-"

"I can't!" She screeched.

Tony stirred. He grabbed one of the throw pillows and shifted to his side. "I'll be better mom, for you." He mumbled pushing his face into the pillow.

"If you think this 'grown man' is capable of making his own decisions, there is some serious re-evaluating that needs to be done. Maybe you would like to call Obadiah and explain why Tony's not there yet." She threw Happy a narrowed eyed look before grabbing her phone and disappearing onto the balcony. "You can at least clean up the vomit." She said slipping off her saturated shoes.

Happy sighed and looked down at his sleeping boss. "How do you did it, boss?" He scoffed quietly. "That women is an handful, isn't she?"

Tony mumbled something incoherent and began to snore a few seconds later.

"The world may never know," He chuckled at the fact he quoted the tootsie pop commercial. " Gloria," he called out. He hoped Tony hadn't given the housekeeper the day off. Because if he did, then Happy was screwed. Even though he would give his life for the man. Cleaning up his vomit was not something he was going to do.

* * *

 **Abigail  
**

Mornings were always slow at the facility. Most of the workers gathered in the break rooms to converse about whatever they did the night before, not that it was ever interesting. You can only hear about someone's cat so many times. Others talked about the newest development in the experiments. Most just huddled around the coffee machines. I never understood their fascination with the stale coffee that the machines produced. It was worse than the crap served at The Twisted Café.

I usually hid away in the archives while everyone gathered in the break rooms. It was the quietest time of the day. Which meant I could read in peace. The archives were like heaven to me. An entire room dedicated to knowledge. Good and wholesome knowledge. I loved it.

Today was going to be a slow day. Andrea wasn't coming in because of her cat or something like that. She left me a few things to do around the place, but then I would be hanging with Doctor Harrison. He would most likely send me off on my own, though. Harrison said I gave him anxiety. Especially when I watched him work.

The fact me doing nothing gave him anxiety wasn't surprising. He was short little man. Whose voice was a few octaves too high and hairline was receding with every passing second. He never looked anyone and the eye and from what I've learned the past two weeks, he rarely gotten along with anyone either.

I was pretty much on my own for the rest of the day. Which was fine by me. That was of course if Allison didn't come poking around and she usually didn't. After the first day she acted as if I had the plague. Never speaking to me and rarely ever working with me. I once asked Andrea why the only two interns never worked together. She replied it was complicated and that it had nothing to do with me. So, something told me Allison had requested it. Sadly, Andrea couldn't elaborate anymore on the matter.

Before anyone can work or do whatever at the facility, we are all required to sign a privacy waiver. Everything that happens in the facility, whether it is an experiment or something with a worker, we are held to the understanding it never leaves the building and is certainly not discussed. Whatever Allison's problem was, I was going to have to find out myself.

I sat cozy in the archives flipping through one of the more interesting files I pulled from the shelves. It was about some design used to defrost huge chunks of ice. Whatever it was the project was discontinued or they found an alternative because the file was marked nugatory meaning, 'unimportant'. It was very important to me though. Whoever had designed the piece of machinery was a genius. Shame they hadn't signed their name. What if I could be holding one of Howard Stark's works. I felt tingles with the thought of it. I was no fan of Tony Stark, but his father was ahead of his time. His innovations shaped our world.

I set the file aside and picked up a small sketch book I found while digging. It was leather bound. It groaned when I opened it. It had to be old. The pages were yellowing and some even fell out. I scooted further back into the corner I nuzzled in and began flipping through the pages.

* * *

 **A/N: As you can tell this story is going in a slightly different direction. Same story, but just different versions on how things happen. I'm also trying to develop the characters a bit more.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I know it took a while to post this chapter. So, thanks for baring with me. I also want to thank everyone who has favored and followed this story! Thank you :) Anyway, the next chapter should be posted quicker, I promise.**

 **What did you think? Let me know by reviewing...Lillyxxx**


	5. No Good

**I solemnly swear that I am up to no good**

* * *

 **Emily**

Emily was escorted down a leaky underground trail. From what she could tell, it was below the sewage system, if that was even possible. The walls contained an unruly stench and it leaked a dark murky liquid. She sloshed through the same substance that also flooded the ground.

Two guards were at either side of her and holding onto her arms very tightly. There were lights illuminating the path. It was the only light she had seen in a long time. Before this, she was locked up in a cage and only taken out to be tested on. She barely even remembered half of the things they stuck her with, just the searing pain after. She only imagined what she looked like at the moment. All the bruises, dirt, and grime. She hadn't showered since first day they captured her.

There were designs etched on the walls and from what she could make out they were of some snake figure. A sense of familiarity washed over her, like she had seen the emblem before and it made her feel uneasy.

"So," she glanced at guard number one, a pretty well built guy. He was to the right of her. "What's your name?"

The man eyed her from the side and kept his head facing forward.

"Okay then," she said. "How about I call you Bob? You look like a Bob," she wasn't really sure where she was planning on going with this, but stalling was better than facing whatever was waiting for her at the end of the tunnel. "So," she tilted her head up. "Bob, how'd you get into a business like this?"

"Quiet," Guard number two snapped. Emily looked at the woman to her left and smiled. She was the one in charge, it was easy to tell. Her whole stature oozed confidence and authority.

"He's not much of a talker then, huh?" Emily gave the woman a once over and noticed a few key things. "How's the fiance?"

"Excuse me?" The woman sneered with a matching pair of scolding eyes, shot directly at Emily.

"The ring on you finger," she shrugged. "Trouble in paradise?" She winced. "I'm sure you're not too disappointed, though.

"How about you shut up," The woman tightened the grip on her left arm.

"The ring is beautiful, really." Emily remarked looking ahead of her. "The silver paint's fading away, but I doubt you care since you remove all the time anyway. I can tell you do. There's still in indentation on you left hand and it's slightly discolored in the spot a ring would be. It's currently on you right hand. Why would someone want to continuously take off a gem like that?"

The woman's lips were furled in rage. Emily smirked and leaned towards Bob.

"What do you think, Bob?"

"That's enough," a rough voice barked out. The guards pulled her to a halt. She rolled her eyes and sighed loudly at the huge dude standing before her. A dark maroon mask covered the man's face and his voice sounded slightly robotic. There must be a voice modifier built into the mask.

"Really dude?" She snorted. The guards let go of her arms and pushed her forward. Emily stepped forward and hooked her thumbs on her belt loops and slipped two fingers inside of the band of her jeans. There were two, small, metal disks stuck to the inside of the band. They had taken most of her weapons and cellphone, but the had failed to do a through search, idiots. She was saving the gadgets for the right moment, and this seemed like a perfect one. "If your fighting skills are like your fashion sense, this won't be hard.

She whirled around kicking Bob in his stomach, he fell back. The woman grabbed Emily's arm and brought up her fist. Emily ducked just in time to dodge the punch. She grabbed the woman's hand, on her arm, and twisted it around. A crack came from the wrist and she pushed the woman back. She took the disks from her band and threw them down.

A thin smoke erupted from the disks.

The man stood and watched the smoke leak out. He let out a loud chuckle when it did nothing but leave a heavy stench. The guards gathered themselves and were back on their feet. They grabbed Emily and pulled her back. She smirked and shrugged.

"What can I say?" She said tilting her head to the side. "You know how it is, trial and error." Bob collapsed and Emily smiled widely. "There were go." Guard number two followed without a second to spare.

"How are you-"

"Five years of marching with a Tuba does wonders for you," she said winking. The man passed out. "Now," she turned and placed her hands on her hips. "How do I get out of her?"

* * *

 **Tony**

Tony's snoring could be heard from his lab, all the way into the common area. Pepper had turned on music long ago to drown him out. She was sitting at the island collecting her thoughts and planning out Tony's week.

They would be flying back into New York soon for a few publicity events. Which meant she had to be on top of her game.

She had gotten most to the phone calls and emailing done, but she still had to organize everything into her planner. Then she was going to have to set up a time for Tony's stylist to fly down to the tower and get him fitted for a new suit, despite him having already millions in his closet.

Speaking of suits that reminded her of the charity ball being hosted by Stark Industries this year. She remembered Obadiah requested Tony be prepared to meet the new interns. Apparently, they would be making a appearance at the event as well. She figured Tony had declined the chance to meet the two young people now working for him. That was usually why Mr. Stane came to her. If there wasn't something he needed she was just the poor ol' assistant.

Once she finished all of her work, she would have to go down, and wake Tony. There were a few papers he needed to sign so she could send them in before midnight and she was pretty sure he hadn't eaten since yesterday. She had sent Happy out to pick up burger king and he would be back soon.

She neatly collected the papers spread around the island counter top and set them in a neat pile. She pulled out her daily planner from her bag and uncapped a black pen. She just remembered, she had to write out speech cards for an interview coming up.

 _Sir_

For some odd reason Jarvis' volume was turned up on high. She heard a faint crash come from the lab.

"I'm fine," Tony called up.

Pepper scoffed and began jotting down stuff. Well, at least she didn't have to wake him up.

* * *

"Dial the volume down a bit," he muttered stretching out. He still had a killer headache from the day before and it had gotten worse because of the stern lecture he got from Obe over the phone this morning.

 _I apologize, sir. May I suggest, perhaps, drinking less next time._

"You can try," he remarked nudging his mouse. The computer started up with a soft whirring sound and the start screen popped up.

 _I've completes security scans as you requested_

"And?"

 _There has been one threat detected_

Tony chuckled he never knew his AI could be so funny.

"Really, what's the results?"

 _Those are the results, sir._

"Go over the stats," he said adjusting himself in the desk chair.

 _I have attempted to track the source, but sadly, the traces come up incomplete each time. The virus seems to be something that would be used to hack my systems. I stopped it before the process was completed, but it was able to break through a number of my security measures._

"How come you're just noticing it now, Jarvis. Come on, you're supposed to on stuff like this," he grumbled bringing up Jarvis' coding. The was a long pause before Jarvis spoke again.

 _I- am not sure_

Tony stopped what he was doing. How could he be unsure? That was impossible, right? "What do you mean 'you're not sure'?"

 _With all do respect, sir. It resembles something you would do. The technique is very similar to yours._

"That's impossible," he scoffed. "I'm the only one who does coding they way I do it. I created the technique myself."

 _That's only because half of the things you do are illegal, sir._

"It's not illegal in Texas," he countered.

 _I would like to point out you are in New York  
_

"Close enough," he clicked through Jarvis' security. "I'm going to have to update your security and scanning."

 _That doesn't mean-_

"I'm afraid so, bud. Veronica is going to have to take your place for a while," he pushed back from the desk. Veronica was a older version of Jarvis' security systems. Her and Jarvis used to share a space sort of speaking. Jarvis originally catered to Tony's personal needs, like a virtual butler, as Veronica dealt with security among other things.

Until Pepper came along.

Let's just say when you have two very head strong women running your life, things don't work out very well. He originally planned on switching Veronica's attitude traits to fit something like Jarvis', but that didn't go very well when the security AI caught wind of his plans.

Pretty much the entire tower was on lock down for a good week or so. It was like some robot horror movie.

He was forced to uninstall her and when he did, he also took care of some minor tweaking.

 _She better not go into my hard drive  
_

"Don't worry, she's different now. Think of her as Veronica 2.0." The AI sighed deeply which told Tony it wasn't convinced. He rummaged through one of his many file cabinets, which were only used to store gadgets, and fished out a small flash drive out. "It's only for a little while," he said sitting back down. He stuck the flash drive into his consul and watched the program.

 _Hello Mr. Stark_

A woman's voice said.

"Just sit tight, Jarvis," he kicked his feet up on his desk and leaned back.

"Mr. Stark," Pepper called down. Tony took his feet down and grumbled. A few seconds later she came down with a few papers in her hand. "I need you to sign a few things," her heels clicked against the marble floor as she walked over to the Tony.

"Just set it on my desk. I'll get to it later," he waved her off.

"I'd prefer if you sign in now," she said pulling out a pen from her bun and clicking it. "Last time I set it out, you forgot about it."

Tony took the pen from her and signed each paper on the dotted line, not bothering to read it. He shoved the pen into her hand and turned back to his computer.

"You flight is tomorrow ten o'clock sharp. I suggest you get to bed early and your suit has already been pressed and laid out for you."

"Yea," he said passively.

"Are you listening, Mr. Stark?"

"Sounds like a plan," he said looking up at her. "Do me a favor send Happy out for some burger king."

"Already did, he should be back any minute. Will that be all, sir?"

"Yea," he said waving her off again. "I've got some things to work on."

"I'll be upstairs if you need me," she said turning and exiting.

 _Scan beginning_

Tony stood from his seat and walked over to his work table. "Jarvis, bring up the stats for my new arch reactor designs," he said gathering some scrap metal.

 _Right away, sir._

* * *

 ** _A/N: Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I previously uploaded chapter five, but there were some problems with it. So, I uploaded a new one. I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to fave and follow!_**

 ** _What did you think?...Let me know by reviewing! Lillyxox_**


	6. Strange Happenings

**All thing must change,**

 **To something new,**

 **To something strange.**

 **-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow**

* * *

 **Abigail**

"Andrea is looking for you," Allison said sliding into the seat beside me. I let out a faint noise to acknowledge her and then buried my face back into the book I was reading. A notepad sat in my lap with a pencil so I could make notes as I read on. "What are you doing?" She asked as she picked a tomato out of the salad I pushed aside to make room for my book.

I 'shushed' her and scribbled something down on the notepad. "I'm studying," I mumbled turning to a new page.

"Why?"

I turned and gave Allison a look as if to ask what she wanted. She rolled her eyes and settled back into her seat. "I'm going shopping tomorrow and I wanted to know if you wanted to come."

"I'm sorry?" I asked looking up. Allison was a- she wasn't the most open person. I wasn't sure if it was because we were both interns or what, but she didn't seem to like me too much.

"For the gala," she quickly added. She picked at her thumbs mindlessly. "I thought we should at least try to get to know each other. You know, since we're kinda in this together."

"Uh-" I said looking back down. "What gala?"

 **####**

"I was actually calling you down here to talk about it," Andrea said.

I followed her as she moved down the hall quickly. Andrea seemed to be in some rush today she held a hefty stack of papers and walked in haste, despite the eight inch heels she was wearing.

"What is it exactly?" I asked holding out my hands as if to offer some help.

"Us facility people like to think of it as a recognition of our hard work," she said declining my offer. "It's one of those few events we are actually invited to. Last year doctor Harrison won an award."

"So, it's like an award ceremony?"

"No," she said as we stopped in front of Lab 1. "It's formal so wear something nice and be prepared to meet a few people. Mr. Stane made it clear he wanted you and Allison there."

"Um, okay?"

"Great," she said smiling warmly at me. "It's next friday. I'll email you everything you need to know."

She left me standing there even more confused than before. I sighed and continued down the hall towards lab II.

"Afternoon, Harrison." I greeted the middle-aged man as I entered.

"Doctor," he corrected not bothering to look up. He was sitting at his desk reading over something. "Is there something I could help you with?"

"Nope," I said leaning against his desk. "Whatcha working on?"

"If you don't have any questions," he said standing. "I really don't see a reason for you to be here." He stood from his desk and walked over to the experiment table.

I stood where I was and watched him from afar. Even though Doctor Harrison was a little uptight I did enjoy watching him work, much to his dislike. When I was younger, I would watch my dad work in his lab. It was always quiet and we barely said a word to each other, but I missed those moments. When I turned ten, he started letting me help around the place. I was only allowed to do simple things though. Like, sweeping the experiment table, bringing him files and sometimes I helped him set up his experiment table. Of course, some memories in his lab were not very fun to reminisce on. It was a lab accident that killed my parents when I was fourteen.

"Since you're here," he grumbled. "You might as well help me prep."

* * *

 **Tony**

 _Sir, I have tracked it to a research facility of yours located at Long Island_

Tony was seated back in his chair with his feet propped up on the desk. A low snore was coming from him along with the occasional hum and shift in his position.

 _Sir?_

He seemed to jump awake abruptly when Jarvis' sound increased. He swung his feet off his desk and ended up knocking off a coffee mug in the process. Grumbling bitterly he called Dum-E over to clean the mess.

"What is it Jarvis?" he asked fixing himself in the chair.

 _I have tracked the hackers signal to one of your research facilities_

"Bring up the stats," Tony said scooting over to his computer. He ran a sleepy hand over his face and let out a sigh. "Long Island," he said to himself as he clicked over anything. He leaned back in his chair in scoffed. So there was man on the inside.

"Mr. Stark," Pepper greeted as she quickly swept through the room. "Rough night, I suppose." She remarked eyeing him up and down.

Tony looked down at himself. He was still wearing the suit from his business meeting yesterday. It was crumpled, his tie was loosened, and for some strange reason tossed over his shoulder, and there was a wet spot on his suit jacket, probably slobber.

"What's on the agenda today?" He asked changing the subject.

"Nothing," Pepper said with a evident sigh.

"I'm sorry?"

"You did have a meeting with Mr. Stane this evening, but he has called to cancel. Something about a girl."

"Hmm," Tony said he stood from his seat and stretched his arms out. "We're taking a trip."

"And where exactly are we going?"

"Long Island," he said grabbing his tie from over his shoulder.

Pepper rolled her eyes and brought out her phone. "And why?"

"Unimportant," Tony said flashing her a smile. "Maybe we'll stop for lunch. I know a good fish place."

"It's past lunchtime, sir."

"Dinner then."

* * *

 **Coulson**

"Sir?"

Coulson turned to the agent standing beside him. The young man was rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly and averting his eyes away from the scene.

"Yes, Agent Farne." A ghost smile rose to Coulson's lips as the agent seemed to swallow something down and clear his throat.

"Could I maybe wait in the car?" Farne stole a peek at the bloodied woman on the ground and brought a hand to his mouth. After a moment of silence he silently nodded to himself and cleared his throat, dropping the hand.

"Is there a problem, Agent Farne?"

"No, sir, it's just that-"

"Then you wouldn't mind getting the scanner from the trunk and helping me assess Agent Greene then."

"Uh-" Farne seemed ready to protest, but whatever he was going to say he swallowed down and nodded. "Right away, sir."

Coulson smiled at the rookie and squatted down beside the woman to get a better look at her. He heard Farne swallow thickly and trudge away towards the car. Coulson knew the agent probably wouldn't make it until the end on of the scan, they never did. Usually, you were taught to stomach things during your time at the academy, but Agent Farne was one of those special cases. He was trained by a fellow field agent instead of going to the academy.

He sighed deeply and pushed the woman's tangled, blonde hair out of her face. Yea, it was Emily alright. He grimaced at her state and stood. He was having trouble understanding why she had been singled out by the attackers, whoever they were. She was a good agent, true, but if they really wanted info, especially on the agency, there were far more better candidates out there. Agent Greene was only a clearance level three agent after all.

"Here you go," Farne said returning with the scanner.

Coulson grabbed the scanner from the boy and knelt down once more. "It's not looking good," he said with a sigh.

 _Scan complete_

"What does it say," Farne asked leaning over Coulson's shoulder.

"Uh-" he didn't get a chance to answer before he heard the padding of feet on the ground. He looked down to the ground and sighed. Well, at least he made it through the scan. A few seconds later the sound of Farne emptying the contents of his stomach on the ground could be heard from a distance.

Coulson took a minute to loosen the tie around his neck and swallow down the lump now forming in _his_ throat.

* * *

 **Abigail**

I slipped on my jacket and grabbed my satchel from the small locker I possessed. I took a moment to pull out my phone and check the time, 5:30. I let out a sigh in relief and walked over to the punch out station. Andrea had went home early, but I opted to stay over and finish passing out some papers for her. She seemed to be stumped with paperwork at the moment, so, I thought I would help out.

I exited the employee work room and nodded a goodbye at the security officer stationed in the small room next to the employee room through the window. I pushed through the door leading to the front.

"See you tomorrow," I said to the receptionist as I passed by her.

"I just don't understand why I can't get a tour," a familiar man's voice said. I looked up to see a man standing, with his back towards me, in an expensive suit. A woman stood next to him with her arms crossed.

"I apologize, Mr.-"

"No need to apologize," the man cut the receptionist off. "I'm just gonna take a look around and-"

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you back without a guide. Mr. Stane's rules, not ours."

The man grumbled bitterly and turned to face the woman. I shook my head and carried on. It wasn't any of my business anyway. I nodded at the security guard standing at the door and-

"You," I paused, one foot out the door and looked over my shoulder. I gulped to see the man staring straight at me, but what nerved me even more was the fact it was Tony Stark.

"Um-" I paused stepping back. "Yea?"

"What's your name?" He asked coming closer.

"Abigail," I answered looking around the room nervously. The receptionist seemed relieved to have the man off of her.

He nodded and slipped his hands into his suit pockets. "Got a last name?"

"I don't see how that matters," I remarked crossing my arms. Inside I was screaming, telling myself to get the heck out of there. My nerves were haywire and I had some killer butterflies in my stomach.

"I like to know my employees," he said nonchalantly.

"Listen," I said rubbing the side of my arm awkwardly. "I'm kinda in a rush to meet someone," I lied. "So-"

"Listen, all I need to do is get in." He said cutting me off. "That's all I need."

"Everyone's gone home," I said.

"I know."

"Maybe you should come back tomorrow," I said turning to leave again.

"One- thousand dollars," he said quickly as I did so. I stopped almost immediately. This guy was desperate. I closed my eyes and sighed before looking over at the security guard. The woman shrugged and pulled out her phone. Well, I guess there wasn't much she could do anyway. He was technically her boss.

"Fine," I said turning and casting a sour smile at the receptionist as I walked up the entrance and brought out my card. 'This isn't some test right?" I didn't want to be called later tonight and told I had a day to clean out my things.

"What makes you think I would tell you?" He replied taking his hands out his pockets. "But, no it isn't a test."

"Well," I said unlocking the door. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"You don't," he replied simply.

"I'm going to go wait in the car," the woman spoke up. She turned on her heel and exited the building before either of us had a moment to talk.

"I guess it's just me then," Tony said. I followed him silently into the back and stood in the doorway.

I chewed on my lip nervously as the security officer stepped out from his office. Of course, Tony just nodded at the man and continued on his way. I let out a sigh and stepped forward. Should I really leave this man? I mean what business owner wasn't allowed inside their own facility?

I took in a deep breath and followed Tony down the hall. I didn't want to be responsible if anything bad happened.

"Mr. Stark," I called out. "Wait up."

I found him in lab I fiddling with the computers. He momentarily looked up and grimaced. "You can just leave," he said as he picked up one of the routers and pulled out a flash drive from his pocket.

"Um-" I said taking a moment to find the right words. I mean I couldn't just tell the man I didn't trust him. "I don't think- that is such a good idea. I mean I am one of the last people to clock out. I don't want-"

"Right," Tony said setting the router down and reaching into his inner jacket pocket. "Here's your money," he pulled a bulky stack of money and counted.

"I don't need your money," I said holding up my hands to refuse. "And what person carries around bills like that?" The last part seemed to just slip out.

"What," He said pausing. "You don't?"

I rolled my eyes at him scoffed. "Listen, trust me I don't need the extra cash and I'm not leaving either. I'm not gonna be blamed if you happen to blow up the place."

"That's a very unlikely outcome," he said sticking his money back in his pocket. "And who doesn't accept money?" He picked up the router again and stuck the flash drive into it.

"What's the flash drive for?"

"Unimportant," he muttered as he set the router down once more and began to type something on the computer.

"It sure looks important," I remarked taking a step closer. "What exactly are you doing?"

"You know," the billionaire said stopping abruptly in annoyance. "Have you ever heard how curiosity killed the cat?"

"Have you ever heard how satisfaction brought it back?" I countered crossing my arms.

"Just-" he seemed stumped. "Go watch the door."

"If you aren't doing anything wrong-"

"Just do it."

 **####**

"Maybe he wanted a private tour." Allison said nonchalantly. She didn't seem at all interested the least bit in the fact Tony Stark was snooping around the facility after hours. In fact, she seemed uninterested in the topic all together.

"Don't you think it's the least bit weird?"

"No," she said picking a deep blue gown off the rack. "What do you think?" She asked holding it up to her body.

"Good," I said with a small eye roll. Shopping wasn't exactly my forte. When I was younger, my mom would pick clothes out for me and as I got got older she eventually hired someone else to do it. It sounds strange, I know, but I never really minded. One less thing for me to obsess over.

Allison let out a over exaggerated groan and put the dress back. "What do you think he was doing?"

"I don't know," I said honestly. I rounded the other side of the rack. "He wasn't to keen on sharing."

"Well, then don't worry about it."

"He was messing with the computers, though."

Allison seemed to stop sorting through the dresses for a split second. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. I made note of it and cleared my throat.

"Maybe you're right," I said picking some random dress off the rack. "It was nothing. What do you think?" I asked holding up the dress.

Allison's face went through three different expressions before it settled on one of disgust. "Do you want me to help you?"

"Yea," I said looking down at the dress. It was a salmon color, with puffy sleeves, and a loud embroidered bosom. I let out a laugh. "That would be nice."

"So," I asked as we exited the dress shop. "Hungry?" She nodded at me to distracted balancing the bags in her hands to actually speak. I scoffed and looked down at the two bags I was holding.

 **A/N: Wow, it has been a while! I, firstly, apologize for not updating in sometime. I guess I just lost the inspiration. But, I am back with a few chapters already written up and ready to be posted. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and more to come soon!**

 **What do you think?...Let me know by reviewing! Lillyxxx**


	7. Lose Control

**_You have two choices_**

 ** _To control your mind_**

 ** _or to let your mind_**

 ** _control you._**

 ** _\- Paulo Coelho_**

* * *

 **Abigail**

 _It was like a time bomb went off. Except, it only seemed to be affecting me. I heard my mother screaming for me to go, to run, but I couldn't move. My feet felt cemented to the ground. My eyes were glued to the ground, where my dad laid lifeless in front of me. Maybe it was the nerves and the shock, but I couldn't remember how he ended up in the lifeless state he was._

 _How could I move? Knowing I was leaving my family there, abandoning them. In less than a second my body was picked up from the ground by some invisible force and I was hurtling backwards into the wall decorated with my father's numerous degrees._

 _Everything went black after that._

 _When I came to, I was being carried by a strong pair of arms. I was slung over who I assumed to be a man's back and could only see the debris the man was climbing over. When I was finally set down it was on a slab of cement, which I figured was somewhere from the parking lot. We were outside and a good distance from the now destroyed lab building._

 _Sirens could be heard from a distance, that's when my rescuer decided to take his leave. I finally got a glimpse of his face as he turned to leave, but sadly the only thing I was able to see were a pair of eyes. Ones I never plan on forgetting either. They looked dead, as if they hadn't seen the actual light of day in so long. He hurried into the small forestry sitting beside the buildings. I watched as he moved, his muscles were tense, his broad shoulders that moved in sync with each step he took. Yet, despite all of that only one thing stood out._

 _He looked scared._

 _I was in an ambulance rushing to the hospital before I could even blink. The sirens were deafening and caused me to choke up a bit. They sounded like death to me. They faded into the background as one of the nurses shined a flashlight in my face, holding up my eyelids and asking me to respond. My head was pounding and my vision had spots in it from the removal of the bright light._

 _There was only one thing on my mind. Mom and Dad. Were they alright? Where were they? The memory of my lifeless dad flashed through my mind. My heart quickened._

 _No._

 _I didn't know what had become of my mother. I could only pray she was alright, but I soon found out that was a hopeless prayer-_

 ** _knock Knock KNock KNOCk KNOCK_**

 **####**

My eyes shot open and I let a groan fall out of my mouth. With a quick glance at the clock, I pulled the covers away from my body and sat up. I pulled on my robe and hurried over to answer the door.

There better be a fire or something

"I'm coming," I yelled as the knocking began to get louder. With a bitter grumble under my breath I unlocked the door and let it swing open. The door hit doorstop with a 'clunk' and I was met with an annoyed looking Felicia Waters. I took a moment to rub the morning crust out of my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things, and let out a mix between a growl and a groan as I realized she was in fact, really there.

Out of everything that could've happened today, I would have never expected this. It was supposed to be a slow morning. Saturday was my relaxation day. I would get out of bed as late as I wanted to, make breakfast (usually leftovers from the night before) and then clean. After all of that was done I would just laze around the place or maybe go out to the library or something.

It was only seven in the morning, a little too early for my taste, and instead being awoken by song birds or the sound of the people below me arguing, I was forced out of sleep by the sound of banging on my door.

"It's about time," she said taking the shades propped on her nose off and sticking them on top of her head. She took a moment to look over me and turned her nose up. "You look like you just crawled out of bed," she scoffed pushing past me into my apartment.

"Nice to see you too," I muttered and slammed the door shut. I tightened my robe around my body and huffed as she looked down at my sofa in disgust before slowly sitting down. "Is there a reason you're beating down my door?"

"I came all the way from Chicago to see you," she explained innocently crossing one overly tanned leg over the other. "I think that's a good enough excuse."

"Well, I am honored you took time to visit me after- how long has it been now?"

Felicia was like the evil step-mother I never had. Actually, she was nothing to me, just a person I used on the legal guardian line in forms until I was eighteen.

"I've been busy," she said glancing around the apartment and grimacing. "Nice place. It's- homey."

I scoffed and walked over to my fridge. "What do you want?"

You always had to be careful when talking to Felicia. She was a good conversationalist and could make her idea seem like yours. I guess, however, after being around her so much I had built an immunity in some ways. For example, when she wanted me to move back to Chicago I ended up scoring an apartment in New York, much to her dismay.

"There's a gala next week," she said taking a moment to exam her nails as if they were the best looking things in the entire room. "You're coming."

Of course it came out like a demand rather than a question. She liked it better when things went her way. I paused for a moment and weighed out my options. After stuffing the dress I bought into the back depths of my closet the event left my mind altogether.

"A gala?" I asked secretly praying it wasn't the one for Stark Industries.

"For Stark Industries."

Damn it.

"Sounds fun," I said pulling out the orange juice from my fridge. I bit down on my lip hard as I set the juice container on the counter. "I, uh-" I spun around to face her, leaning back into the counter with my elbows. "Hope you have fun."

"Well, I'm sure it will be fun." She said letting her thin lips form into a smile. "Since you'll be there to keep up an appearance."

"I can't go," I lied quickly. I mentally slapped myself because knowing Felicia she was going to ask for an excuse and I didn't have an excuse to give so my fib was going to be short lived and found out.

She tilted her head back and let out bubble of laughter. I felt my face heat up at the sound of her dry and out of place laughter. I tried not to look so scared as she recovered and wiped a non-existent tear from the corner of her eye. There was a feeling of pure dread coursing through my veins at the moment.

"How about you let me tell what day it is first, sweetheart." Her words dripped venom. I watched as she slowly turned into a viper with sharp fangs that dripped a thick syrupy substance, mixed with something red, blood I imagined.

I gulped and came down from my head to see her as normal than ever. "I have a job," I said without hesitating. "And I'm working all week."

 **####**

"Maybe I should tell her," I said into my phone. I twirled around my apartment in circles, unsure on what else to do. My mind was racing a million miles per second. I couldn't sit down, but I didn't feel like doing anything either.

"It's just," I sighed deeply. "I never told Felecia about the internship. She would've freaked and forced me to turn down the opportunity and even though I know that- Listen, I didn't want to give something up just because of some stupid company, okay?! My life has nothing to do company and she- ugh! She thinks she can just come in and run it just like she does with my dad's company. Besides, I figured I would never have to talk to her about it since she doesn't even glance my way unless I can be used for publicity-" The phone beeped and the call was ended. I sighed and took the phone from my ear. I felt something gather in my chest as I looked down at the call log.

Emily.

It was pathetic, really. I subjected myself to pouring my heart out into her voice mail. It's just that, I missed her, alot, and out of the very small list of people I could talk to, she was the one I trusted the most. I hadn't seen or talked to Emily since the incident at the Twisted Cafe.

I tossed the phone on the couch and took a deep breath. A unnerving feeling welled in the pit of my stomach and I felt my chest tighten. My life was a mess and now, here I was worrying about a woman who didn't even care about me. I tried my best to push the feeling away, but the harder I tried, the worse it got. My breath hitched in my throat as I felt something, like a burst of electricity, shoot through my veins. My head began to pound, like someone was using a jackhammer on it.

I need to sit down.

I plopped down on the sofa and tried to gather myself. Pulling my knees up to my chest, I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face into my legs.

 **####**

 _I was in an ambulance, rushing to the hospital, before I could even blink. The sirens were deafening and caused me to choke up a bit. They sounded like death to me. They faded into the background as one of the nurses shined a flashlight in my face, holding up my eyelids and asking me to respond. My head was pounding and my vision had spots in it from the removal of the day light._

 _There was only one thing on my mind. Mom and Dad. Were they alright? Where were they? The memory of my lifeless dad flashed through my mind. My heart quickened._

 _No._

 _I didn't know what became of my mother. I could only pray she was alright, but I soon found out that was a hopeless prayer._

 _Everything was kind of a haze after that. I was checked into the hospital and put under extensive care even though I had very few injuries. The nurses thought it was strange. They would whisper to each other and to the doctor when they thought I wasn't paying attention. I could still hear them though. They used words such as: odd, strange, impossible, different._

 _After hearing them speak like that for so long I finally convinced myself I was different. Some freak of nature. I wasn't sure what happened after I hit the wall or how exactly I ended up healthy enough to be walking out of the hospital a week later, but they were right, it wasn't normal. Especially since I had been the only one to survive._

 _Two weeks after I was released, I was placed in a temporary home with a few family friends. As of then a legal battle was in the middle of being worked out. My mother's best friend and my 'aunt', Felicia, were fighting for custody over me. I didn't know why my aunt had any interest in me seeing as for most of my life, I hadn't actually existed to her. Before this, she had never shown interest in me._

 _My 'aunt' ended up winning the trial, and next thing I knew, I was being moved out to her place in Chicago. My 'aunt' wasn't, if you couldn't already tell, my real aunt. She was a business partner of my father's who helped the company achieve lots. They were childhood friends as well, but she wasn't a very good friend in my eyes. She had detested my mother and I for as long as I could remember, always making my father consider the company and not us._

 _She moved me into her condo, laid out the rules, and never paid attention to me again, wishing a happy birthday when needed._

 **####**

Focus

It was like my mind was teasing me. Sending flashes of memories through each time I closed my eyes. Each one almost as painful than the last. I slowly unwound my figure and stood up. The dream I was having before I was awoken by Felicia had to be the most painful out of all of my memories. I took in a deep breath and slowly walked to my room. The pounding in my head seemed to lesson. My chest was still tight, but the unnerving feeling calmed down. Maybe I just needed to take my medicine. I had sworn I took it before going to bed the night before, but maybe I forgot.

I was making my way across the bedroom, towards my bathroom, when my foot landed on something. The sound of pages ruffling sounded out as I put my foot down. I paused and looked down.

It was the notebook from the archives.

Andrea had been kind enough to let me borrow it for some time. She said it was usually against the rules to take anything out without permission, but she said she would look the other way since it was so old and didn't seem to be of any value. I was reading it last night before I went to bed. The different inventions were just so interesting, but yet, so complicated. I muttered a curse under my breath and prayed that none of the pages had ripped. It must have fallen off my bed after I dozed off.

 **####**

 _"Get back here!"_

 _I looked over my shoulder to see Felicia seething at me with a side look. A somewhat tall, bald man stood next her. 'Obe' I think she called him. I smiled as I focused on the bright red finger she had. Yup, I did that._

 _"Excuse me," she whispered to the man before turning and following after me._

 _I wasn't exactly sure why my parents insisted on leaving me with this woman to go talk business with others. I never really like the woman and though I was only six and didn't like celery either, I liked to think I knew what I was talking about. My eyes grew wide as she stomped over to me, putting on a smile for the occasional passerby. I wasn't going back to her. I rubbed my sore arms. She didn't even know what 'gentle' meant. The woman treated me like a rag doll most of the time, she didn't care if what she did hurt or not._

 _I hurried under the nearest refreshment table and popped out the opposite end. As I did so, the room seemed to split in half. The sound of clapping drowned out Felicia screaming at me. I looked around at all the people around me, hoping to find my dad. If I just found him. That's when I spotted the lanky, tall man standing on the other side of the split. He was standing next to a young man, who he seemed to be arguing with. He wasn't my dad, that was for sure, but he sure looked like him._

 _"You are in big trouble, missy." I turned to see Felicia barreling after me. Her face was bright red._

 _Slowly, carts were pushed through the split in the room. I wasn't sure what was on them, but whatever it was smelled amazing. I ducked through the traveling carts, hurrying over to the other side just as Felicia was about to snatch me up._

 _"How many times do I have to tell you Ton-" The man was cut off by me wrapping my arms around his leg and holding on for dear life. He looked down in mild surprise as the young man sitting beside him snorted._

 _"Abigail," I heard Felicia gasp from behind me. "Get over here this instant," she screeched. Luckily, for her, the carts passed and conversation began to fill the room again._

 _"Hello there," the man greeted kind of tightly as he reached down and attempted to peel me off of his pant leg._

 _"No," I said letting a few tears fall. I clung tighter to his pant leg._

 _"You're wasting your time, kid." The younger man said bitterly._

 **####**

I let the notebook drop out of my hands before I could finish the memory. I let out a slight gasp and took a step back. I felt all the blood rush from my head and a dizzy spell suddenly fall over me. Before I could even grasp the situation, everything went black.

 **A/N: Wow, that was a wild chapter! What's going to happen to Abigail? XD I hope you all liked it, I really enjoyed writing it. So, this was like a taste of Abigail's powers because I know I haven't touched down on it much. Anyway, the next chapter is going to be something so, stick around.**

 **What did you think?...Let me know by reviewing! Lillyxxx**


	8. Secrets

**We all have secrets;**

 **The ones we keep,**

 **and the ones that are kept from us**

 **-Peter Parker**

 **(The Amazing Spiderman)**

* * *

 **Clint**

Clint stood at the shooting range. His bow aligned with the bulls eye and stared down the target as if to say, 'I'm going to conquer you.' Taking in a deep breath he pulled back his hand and slowly let go of the bow string.

"Agent Barton," a sudden voice entered his concentration. The arrow was let loose and barely hit the middle of the target.

Clint muttered a curse under his breath and turned to face the voice that caused his hand to slip. "That was the perfect shot," he said lowering his bow.

The man let out a 'hmph' and watched Clint turn to retrieve the arrow. "What I'm about to offer you is a way better one," Fury turned on his heel and headed to the door.

"Yea," Clint replied plucking the arrow out of the target. He examined the head of it. "And what might that be?"

"Hang up your bow, we are taking a walk."

Clint did as he was told, but with a bitter grumble. He couldn't remember the last time he was able to train in peace. It had to be sometime before Shield had brought him in. He followed the Director out of the training room and entered the lift with him, no questions asked.

"I sent you to kill her." Fury said. He faced forward. "Instead, you brought her back with you."

"I thought it was kind of ironic that you sent me to assassinate and assassin," Clint said dryly. "One of the best assassin's out there at that."

The director sighed deeply and looked at Clint. "Good job."

The words caught the young man slightly off guard. He stared at the one-eyed man with mild shock showing through his face. "Um-"

"But, the council doesn't agree." He continued with a grimace. "They still question your loyalty."

"What else can I do?" Clint asked in frustration. "I nearly died."

"Yet, you're still standing here."

The elevator doors opened and the pair stepped out. Fury led the man towards his office in silence and didn't open his mouth to speak until they were safely inside.

"I have a new mission for you." He grabbed a file off his desk and handed it to Clint.

* * *

 **Abigail**

I laid still as the woman took the I.V. out of my arm. I was in a strange place, an unfamiliar one. The woman didn't offer a word as she slowly pulled the needle out and placed a band-aide over the now needless arm. I was in some hospital room, but something told me it wasn't my local E.R.

Everything in the room screamed business. There wasn't the sound of distant phones ringing, the voice over the intercom calling for some doctor or the rest of the chaos that was all too present at hospital. Everything was coming back to me in a haze. I remembered Felicia showing up at my door, and her talking about the charity event. After that, everything was kind of blurry.

"Where am I?" I asked as the nurse fit a clip board under her arm. She looked at me with uncertain eyes and then made a hasty exit, not bothering my answer my question. I let out a huff and fell back into the bed. I felt exerted, my mind hurt, but my body burned with excitement. My fingertips tingled and worst of all, every time I closed my eyes, I seemed to slip into some past event.

The night put a strain on me. The machines surrounding my bed beeped loudly and I couldn't sleep with the noise. Every so often a nurse would come in and check on me. It was like they were scared I would up and leave. Though, I wasn't sure how I could when I could barely move. The energy in my body was at the moment nonexistent. I felt like a corpse just laying there in bed. But, what could I do?

Everything that happened before I woke up in the medical ward of some underground facility was blurry. In other words, I couldn't remember a thing. But, I did know my bones ached and I was completely drained of all energy. Whatever did happen, was something big, and something dangerous enough to land me in Shield's hands.

It seemed like I had been lying all by myself in the hospital room when someone finally reentered. Coulson stepped through the door with a sorrowful look and something tucked under his arm. I attempted to sit up, but it just ended my hissing in pain and laying my head back down. Coulson offered a weak smile and pulled a chair up to my bed.

"You've had quite a few days," he said taking a seat and placing the folder in his lap. I watched him with steady eyes, unsure on what exactly to say. How long had I been here? He let out a small chuckle at my confusion and scooted forward a bit. "You were out for two days," he said clasping his hands together.

It felt like a bag of bricks had been dumped on me as the words left his mouth. Two days? This single thought caused me to go into some panicked frenzy. My heart quickened, causing one of the machines set near my bed to begin to beep. The added noise caused me to find it harder to breath, and everything went downhill after that. What was I going to do? Coulson placed a calm hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. I looked over at him and began to try to steady my breathing.

"I need you to stay calm, Abby." he said picking up the file in his lap.

"Abigail," I corrected balling up the white sheets I was laying on in my fists.

"Abigail," he repeated with a small nod. "I've been trying my best to make this as simple as possible," he continued not missing a beat. "But, it's, honestly a lot harder than it sounds."

"What are you talking about?" I asked relaxing my hands.

"I want you to read this," he handed over the file in his hands with a strong exhale of breath. I grabbed it from him carefully, and a little hesitantly. I wasn't sure what was in the file he was giving me and the name printed neatly on the white strip caused me to raise an eyebrow.

"Audrey Hienfield?" I read out loud. "That's my grandmother."

"I am well aware," he replied with a nod. "There's a lot you may not understand right now, Abby." I sighed at the nickname. "But, I want to help you understand."

"What's going on then?" I asked referring to everything. The men in the cafe, my powers surging out of control.

"A lot of things," he replied standing again. "It's not safe for you out there, at least not without a little extra protection."

Yea, that helped me bunches. He was singing the same old tune, just using different words. I rolled my eyes and stared up at the folder I was holding in my hands. "It would be a lot more comfortable to read this, if I could sit up," I remarked to myself.

"Give yourself time," he replied slipping his hands into his pockets. "You've had an interesting few days."

"Tell me about it," I replied with all seriousness. I honestly couldn't remember a thing.

"In due time," he replied once again giving me his warm smile. I hated it so much. "But right now, you need to rest."

I watched as Coulson turned to leave, unsure on what I could say to change this situation. I was pretty much in the dark and I wasn't enjoying it. I looked back up at the file and huffed. I wanted some answers and soon. I set the file aside and turned to face away from the door. Some sleep may actually do some good for me.

* * *

 **Emily**

Emily sat in the interrogation room all by herself. The cold grey walls gave her strange and unexplainable peace of mind. She wasn't sure why she had been called down to be questioned so early in the morning, but she was used to being stuck in some room and questioned. Shield hadn't been so trusting of her since she resurfaced from being MIA for a few weeks. Although, she didn't entirely blame them. She didn't enjoy being treated like a felon either.

The door on the room finally opened and Coulson stepped through. The grim look on his face sent shudders down her back. He looked at her like he wasn't trying to accuse her, but had already made up his mind. A lump formed in her throat as he slowly took a seat across for her and sighed.

'You aren't in trouble," he said.

"What a great way to start off," she replied before she could stop herself.

Coulson sighed deeply and tried again. "I'm going to ask you a few questions."

"What's new?"

"We aren't talking about what happened when you were-"

"Kidnapped," Emily finished for him. The word rolled off her tongue like venom and left a sour taste in her mouth. He always tried to beat around the bush, but the truth was Shield had failed in protecting their agents and now here she was.

"What do you know about Abigail Hienfield?"

Something unexplainable happened to Emily in that moment. Rage bubbled up inside of her. That name left her feeling angry, upset, betrayed. She looked at Coulson with dead eyes. "Who?"

He paused, astonished by her answer. "Um-" he said continuing on. "Well, it's been a while." He offered a weak smile. "Maybe this will jog your memory."

He slid a file across the table with a picture of a girl pinned on the front. She didn't even know why she did it, but looking at the young girl's face sent her into a frenzy. She, in one swift motion, swiped the file off of the table and watched it fly off and settle onto the ground in a messy fashion. She looked up to see Coulson staring at her with a sober expression, but surprise in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said her voice a little bit softer. She cradled the arm she swiped that she had used to swipe folder off of the desk with, and looked down at the ground. "The doctor says that there's something wrong with my motor neurons. Probably from whatever, whoever, was doing doing to me.

Coulson pressed him lips into a thin line and nodded. "How about you go rest," he replied with an understanding nod. "We'll pick this up later."

Emily nodded and slowly pushed back from the table. She silently exited the room and smirked down at herself as she did so.

"Abigail Hienfield," she murmured to herself as two guards waiting on the other side of the door escorted her back to her room.

* * *

 **A/N: Not much to say, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Hopefully, another chapter will be up soon.**

 **What did you think?...Let me know by reviewing! Lillyxx**


	9. First Impressions

**The identity of one changes with**

 **how one perceives reality**

 **\- Vithu Jeyaloganathan**

* * *

 **Clint**

"You can't be serious," Clint said looking down at the file in his hands with a grim look on his face. Right off the bat he could tell this girl was going to be a handful.

"Afraid so," Fury remarked sliding into his desk chair. He leaned back with an exhaled of air and rested his hands on top of his stomach.

This was insane, maybe not impossible, but one hundred percent insane. Clint closed the file and looked up at Fury with his mouth slightly agape. "Does she at least know?" He asked. Because if some super secret agency was hiding something as big as this from him, he would be pretty pissed.

"Afraid not," Fury responded slightly narrowing his eye. "And she isn't going to find out anytime soon."

Clint gulped slightly and nodded quickly. He wouldn't want to break the news anyway. From the sounds of it, this girl had some pretty crazy powers. "Of course not." He agreed slipping the file under his arm. "Why are you choosing me though?"

"You brought in one of the world's deadliest assassins, with only few major injuries." Clint's hand flew up to touch his bandaged torso defensively. He could still feel the woman's heavy boot knocking the wind out of him and the weight of being shot at least three feet back into a wall. It has taken him a week just to sit up in bed.

"I think you can handle a seventeen year old girl who barely has a grasp on things."

Well, when he said it like that.

Clint let a sigh escape from his lips because he knew that it was going to be hard to say no to the director of shield either way. Fury offered something mixed between an grimace and a smirk at Clint's response.

"Abigail Hienfield," Clint muttered to himself as he grabbed the file and flipped it open once more.

She was certainly one special girl.

He did his best to mentally prepare himself as he made his way through the infirmary. Like, what the hell was he supposed to say to her? So apparently, there are these bad guys after you and we don't know exactly who they are, but we do know that want to harvest your insides and do weird experiments on you. However, we can't be too sure because all of our info came from a woman who has been MIA for about two months and just showed up one day turned over in the middle of some trees somewhere in Germany. But, you know it's whatever.

Maybe he should just start off with introductions.

"Nice to meet you I'm Agent Barton," Clint entered the room in one swift motion not allowing anytime for the girl sitting in the hospital bed to react.

The girl was turned away from the door. So, Clint could only see the thick, black hair falling messily on her shoulders and back. She was curled up in a somewhat feral position, but upon him entering he noticed she suddenly become alert. She stiffly, and slowly, turned to her side and have a glance at him.

Clint's breathe caught in his throat as her eyes scanned over him. She was definitely not what he was expecting. The girl's eyes were a mix of green and brown. What was the word for that again? He couldn't remember off the top of his head, but they were definitely a rare occurrence. Her face, although youthful, held a few worry lines and prominent frown lines. She looked too old to be seventeen.

She creased her eyebrows at him and attempted to sit up, but after a moan of pain she fell back into the bed and just completely turned to face him. "I'm sorry?" She asked giving him an raised eyebrow.

Clint swallowed thickly to himself and racked his mind. What now? He scanned her face looking for some indication that what was written in her file was correct, but it was hard to see. Maybe if he had something to compare, sure. He was certain then it wouldn't be the hard, but in this moment he just didn't see it.

"I said," he started again. "I'm Agent Barton and I've been assigned to keep an eye on you during your-" he paused what should he call it? A visit? Eternal confinement? The latter seemed to pretty much sum everything up for him because sometimes that is what it felt like. "Your time at the Strategic Homeland-"

"Shield," she said cutting him off.

Huh, he had never heard that one before.

"Sure," he said letting out a small sigh.

"Abigail," she said.

"I know," he replied with no real emotion in his voice. "Seeing as though you seem to be having some difficulty with moving at the moment, we can take care of all the important stuff tomorrow."

Abigail's eyebrow was lifted higher into the air. "As much as I would love to, I don't think I'm going to magically heal overnight."

"Nothing's broken," Clint said picking up the clipboard hanging on the front of the her bed. "Just- over power exertion?"

"Yea, it's a thing. Believe it or not."

Clint wasn't really liking the attitude. He let out a scoff and rehung the clipboard. "I think you'll manage."

She rolled her eyes at the him and then turned her attention to the folder in his hands. "What's that?" She asked obviously interested.

"None of your concern," he said tucking it under his arm protectively. Abigail huffed and once again rolled her eyes.

Oh yea, she was definitely seventeen.

"Well, since you're here maybe you can bring me a bite to eat or something. Bedside service is really crappy." Clint scoffed once more and shook his head.

"I'll see what I can do," he replied with the least bit of seriousness in his voice. He wasn't some servant after all. Now it was his turn to ask what exactly she had. Clint's eyes landed on the vanilla file laying on the stand next to her bed. Abigail seemed to notice his switch in attention and protectively grabbed the folder.

"I guess everyone has some sort of secret in the place, huh?" She asked holding the folder close.

"Maybe," Clint replied the edges of his lips turning upwards. "It was nice meeting you, Ms. Hienfield."

With that he turned and exited the room leaving her alone once more.

Clint took a deep breath as he stepped into the hall. There was a strange feeling that came off of her. One that sent chills down his spine. Clint took a minute to shake off that feeling and began to make his way down the hall.

She wasn't all that bad, he guessed.

* * *

 **Abigail**

It was a bit overwhelming walking through a place full of people with ear pieces and leather clad suits. I struggled not to trip over the sweatpants made for someone way taller than me. Agent Barton, not bothering to notice my evident gait from days of not using my leg muscles, quickly sped walked through the place. I tried to ask him where exactly we were going, but after getting only a small grunt in response, I decided to just wait and see.

I kept my grandmother's file safely tucked under my arm as we made our way through the busy place. I was paranoid that if I let it out of my sight, I may never see it again. There were so many things I didn't know and if there was any chance that whatever was inside the file would help me, I wasn't going to give it up. I was going to read if, eventually. But, at the moment I couldn't and wouldn't even take a peak at the first page. It was something I needed to do in private, alone.

Somewhere I felt was safe.

Agent Barton stopped at a thick iron door. After typing in some code on a keypad to his right, the door shot open and we stepped inside. "First," he spoke as we made our way down another long hall. I was starting to think the entire facility was just a maze of long halls.

"We need to update some of your information. Like fingerprints," Agent Barton stopped at another door and turned to face me. The door slid open and he stepped aside and waited for me to step forward. The ever so familiar anxious feeling settled at the pit of my stomach and shot panic through my veins. As I slowly stepped into the room, I could feel myself rewinding time and turning back into a scared, confused little girl.

 _"Don't be afraid," my mother said as she led me through the gigantic lab. She held my hand tightly, her fingers intertwining between mine. "They're here to help you."_

I snapped out of the trance and swallowed thickly. I was still afraid and even more confused than before.

"Ms. Hienfield?" A young man greeted me. He quickly stood up from the computer desk he had been previously slouched over and quickly rushed over to us.

"Yes?" I said still in a slight haze. He took a moment and searched my face. His mouth was slightly agape, his eyebrows furrowed. I averted my eyes uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Um-" He said clearing his throat. "Right this way."

"I'll be back," Agent Barton spoke up causing me to glance over at him. I opened my mouth to ask him where he was going, but decided it against it. He seemed like a guarded person. He gave me a unreadable look and turned to leave. The only thing he left me with was the slight chance he would return.

The young man cleared his throat once more. I turned back to him and he offered me smile. "Follow me."

I looked at the strange machine set in front of me quizzically. I wasn't to sure what it was, but I was sure I wasn't going to be sticking my finger in it. I looked back up at the young man and he smiled warily.

"It, uh, takes an imprint of your vein pattern."

Alright, I'll bite. I let out a small huff and hesitantly slipped my finger into the device. The device flashed red and then after a few seconds beeped. My eyes grew wide unsure what to do now. The device clamped down on my finger and I felt the distinct sensation of buzzing. A chuckle from the young man, and a glare from me later, the device beeped again and my finger was released from whatever trap it had been held in.

I took out my finger quickly and examined it to unsure I still actually had one.

"It wasn't that bad," the young man remarked picking up the device and replacing it with another clunky, even funkier looking one.

Oh, heck no.

I bit my tongue and shook my head at the young man vigorously. "This one," he began flipping a switch. "Scans for the entire hand's vein pattern," The device lit up and hummed like a computer that had been sitting for days. I eyed him as he let out another chuckle.

 **####**

"What now?" I asked holding tightly onto my left wrist. My hand pulsed from being prodded, held tightly, and poked. I hoped that I would never have to 'update' anything again. Agent Barton's mind must have been someplace else as he led my towards another unknown destination. His eye wandered off and a far off look settled into them. His silence was even more alarming than before, because at sometimes it seemed he was so deep into thought, he would forget to breath. Agent Barton then would let out a deep exhale of breath and then start all over. Where ever he had been while my hand was being abused, had certainly done something to him.

"Now," he spoke after a few moment of silence. "You are going to be released. Go back to your normal life and we will be in touch."

"And as in we you mean?"

Agent Barton shot a look over his shoulder to me. "Try to fall back into you old routine. Act as if nothing ever happened, it will be easier that way."

He fell silent again, falling back into the deep abyss of thoughts. I let out a slight sigh and let him enjoy the peace and quiet.

As if nothing ever happened, sure.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **What did you think?...Let me know by reviewing! Lillyxx**


	10. The Mess I've Made (I)

**_One wrong move and it all came crashing down_**

 ** _-unknown_**

* * *

 _You have never truly known fear until you have looked into the eyes of an angry Felicia Waters. Until you stand there, dress soaked completely, hair drowned in champagne, no excuses to offer, and watch as the beady eyed woman's lips furl up in disgust at you, face turns red, and back straightens like a board._

 _Let me tell you. I have seen a lot of scary things in my life, but Felicia was a whole different kind of scary. She was someone, although small, very powerful. She was the only thing keeping me from my future, and I had a feeling she was just about ready to take every last thing away from me at the moment._

* * *

 **Abigail**

I had a sickening feeling in my stomach as I signed in at the front desk. The secretary gave me a side look as I set the pen back down on the counter and began to unzip my jacket. It was pretty chilly outside today and I had a feeling it was just because Felicia was in town. I made my way through security and entered the employee room to hang up my jacket and bag.

Today was going to be a long day, I just knew it.

The gala was tonight and I was not prepared. After trying and failing to convince Andrea I couldn't go, I was stuck and now just awaiting the inevitable. I smiled at Allison, who was putting her stuff inside her locker.

"Wanna share a cab tonight?" She asked as I unlocked my locker and slipped off my jacket. I was too busy imagining my death to hear her. I would go down in a ball of flames. "Abigail."

"Hmm?" I asked looking up from my locker.

Allison scoffed and shut her locker. "Are you alright?" She asked coming over to where I was standing.

"Yea, I'm fine. Why?"

"Nothing," she replied creasing her eyebrows together. "You've been a little- out of it, since you came back from Chicago."

If she only knew I hadn't actually went to Chicago. If only she knew that I woke up in a strange infirmary after being knocked out for a good amount of time, and now I didn't know who to trust, and how to act. I looked over at Allison who was looking at me with concerned eyes.

"I'm fine," I replied looking away from her. "I should probably get to work. There's thousands of files for me to re-shelve."

I exited the employee room, leaving her there. 'Agent' Barton had told me to act as if everything was normal, but that was easier said than done.

I entered the archives and let out small sigh of relief as I began to sort through the folders. I think that the archives, by far, were my favorite place to spend my time in the entire facility. I liked being around knowledge. I began to re-shelve the files and pushed everything else to the back of my mind. I chewed on my bottom lip as I slowly placed the files back to where they belonged. As my hands brushed the files sitting on the shelve, I felt my fingers tingle and I withdrew. That seemed to be happening a lot more often now, even though I took the pills Shield prescribed me.

I let out a large sigh and moved on. "Get a hold of yourself," I muttered.

The day went by painfully slowly and when the night finally came I was nervous wreck. I must have looked in the mirror a thousand times as I paced through my apartment anxiously.

I stood in front of the mirror, smoothing over the deep green dress I was wearing. I had to admit, although I was not a very fancy person myself, I cleaned up nicely. The skirt of the dress flowed to the ground like a satin green waterfall. I let my fingers trail across the bejeweled waist line and let out a small sigh in satisfaction. At least I was going down in style.

There was a knock on my front door and I looked up from the mirror. Checking the clocked I huffed, grabbed my purse, and hurried over to the door. I thought it would be Allison since she wanted to share a cab, but instead I opened the door to a snazzy looking 'Agent' Barton. He leaned against the door frame looking one-hundred percent disinterested.

"It's you," I said taking a step back and letting him in.

"The one and only," he replied stepping into the apartment. "This is the follow up," he sighed slipping his hands into his pockets. I knew he didn't want to be here, and I didn't want to him to be here either. Allison would be knocking on my door any second, ready to get out there and 'bust a move', her words not mine. It was safe to say Allison had never been to a charity gala, like this one before or any for the matter.

"Right now?" I asked setting my clutch down on the kitchen counter and ushering him back towards the door. "I'm kind of in a rush."

'Agent' Barton paused and checked the watch on his wrist. "No, the gala doesn't start for another hour. But, we better leave now or traffic is going to slow us down."

I stopped pushing him and let a strange noise. "Oh no. I already have enough things to worry about tonight and one of things is not going to be you."

"You've got it all wrong," he said ignoring my persistence for him to leave and stepping out of my line of shoving. "I'm here to worry about you," he grimaced. "All you have to do is smile and look pretty."

I narrowed my eyes at the man and crossed my arms defiantly. "This is unbelievable."

"You don't even know," 'Agent' Barton muttered under his breath.

"I'm sorry?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," he replied glancing around my apartment. "Nice place.

 **####**

"Smile," Barton leaned in and whispered as we made our way past the photographers. "You're scaring the children." I threw him a glare and slipped past the pictures before I could be stopped. I didn't want to remember this night after it was over and I didn't want my photo to be plastered on some tabloid or under budget newspaper's front page. I grabbed hold of Barton's wrist and pulled him inside.

"Listen," I said as we handed off our coats and were ushered inside the event. "I'm kind of trying to keep a low profile. So-"

"Say no more," he replied grabbing a glass of champagne off a passing waiter's tray. "That would actually make my job a whole lot easier." He took a sip from the glass and then dumped it in the nearest plant. I rolled my eyes and spotted Allison from across the room. "Just stick to the-"

I didn't bother for him to finish his sentence. I was hurried off towards Allison with my head ducked low. If I was lucky, Felicia decided to save herself from a night of fake smiles, and jetted back off to Chicago. But, considering my week, I doubted I would be that lucky.

"Ally," I greeted the blonde with a huge smile. She looked more than relieved to see me and pulled me into to a decent sized hug.

"I thought you would never get here, thank goodness." Allison's pink streaked hair was tied up in a half up, half down do and her dress was full of shimmer. "I thought I would have to do the press rounds all by myself."

"Press rounds?" I asked letting out a small scoff. What press rounds?

Allison's eye grew wide and she took my by the shoulders. "That's right, you were gone when Andrea told me." She took me by my arm and pulled me towards the bathroom. I followed along, very confused. As I was being dragged to the bathroom, I just happened to look out into the crowd of people swarming around the place. My eyes fell on a very bony, very evil looking middle aged woman, who looked like she was wearing her mother's dress.

Felicia was here.

She seemed to sense my pathetic energy and immediately spun around to face my direction. I quickly ducked my head and hurried towards the bathroom, now pulling Allison along. When we finally entered the bathroom, I let out a sigh of relief and leaned back against the faucet counter top.

"Here," Allison said reaching into the top of her dress and pulling out a stack of cards. "I did some preparing, you can borrow them though. I've memorized most of it. Not that you'll even need these. You've probably done lots of these being a Hienfield and all. I bet you've done this countless times." She placed the cards on the counter and turned to examined herself in the mirror.

Press rounds? Hienfield and all? Note cards?

I grabbed Allison by the shoulder and pulled her around to face me. "Maybe you could elaborate?" I asked picking up the note cards. Ew, they were warm. I dropped them back on the counter.

"Careful," Allison said scrambling to pick them up as they fell out their pile. "I put them order."

"Ally!" I exclaimed as I began to rub my forehead.

"Didn't you ever wonder why they never announced the names of the recipients of the internship?"  
"Because that would take away any kind of privacy we had?" I asked shaking my head. "What happened to the confidentiality waver we signed?"

"That isn't even the same thing," Allison huffed as she neatly placed the note cards back on the counter. "I assumed you knew they would release our names," she said looking at me strangely. "I mean you're a Hienfield and you are working for Stark Industries."

"Stop saying that," I said in frustration. "Stop saying I'm a Hienfield. How do you even know that?! Why does that even matter?!"

Allison sighed. "Abigail, your father's company was one of Stark Industries' biggest rivals. Even if you aren't as famous now, it's still a big deal that your working for Tony Stark, and as for how I know that? _Everyone_ knows you're a Hienfield. Literally, everyone who works at the facility. That's why the front desk lady always gives you the stink eye, why Harrison doesn't like you in the labs? No one ever addressed the elephant in the room directly, but trust me it was there. I assumed you knew that too. Isn't that why you got this internship?"

"No Allison," I replied clenching my fists to my side. "That is not why I got the internship. I got it, because I deserved it. At least I thought that was why." I pushed past her and out of the bathroom.

I was in a huge mess.

"Abigail?" A voice greeted me as I pushed through the bathroom doors. Felicia was standing to the side with no doubt at least her fifth glass of wine hand. The man she was talking to turned to look at me and I felt the undeniable feeling of dread begin to bubble in the pit of my stomach.

"Felicia," I said pulling a smile to my lips as I went over to greet her. I went in for a hug, but she stopped my short and we hugged the air instead. "Mr. Stane," I greeted the man standing next to her. He offered me a slight nod as his beady eyes scanned over me.

I was in a huge mess that I had no way of getting out of.

"There you are sweetheart," 'Agent' Barton said coming out of nowhere and slipping an arm around my waist. I cringed to myself as Felicia raised an eyebrow.

"And who are you?"

Before Barton could reply I stopped him. "This is why I turned down your invitation for tonight. I wanted to tell you later, but I guess now is as good of a time as any. Felicia this is my boyfriend um-"

"Greg," Barton interrupted going in for a handshake. "And it's nice to finally meet you Miss Waters."

Felicia opened her mouth to reply as she carefully took his hand, but we interrupted yet again.

"There you are," Andrea said sliding into the group. I let out a sigh and felt my chest begin to feel tighter. My body was shaking and breathing was getting harder by the second. She looked at Obadiah and excused herself. "You'll have to forgive me, but the press are requesting Stark Industries newest-"

"Your new intern?" I interrupted. "I think I saw her in the bathroom. She looked very anxious too."

Andrea creased her eyebrows at me and she and Obadiah shared a look. "You know what? I could really go for a drink, Greg?" "I'll get you a water," Barton said giving me a strange look and slipping away.

I turned back to the group and offered a sheepish smile. Much to my relief before anything could be said about anything, the lights turned down, applause erupted through the room, and I had never been so happy to see Tony Stark.

* * *

 **A/N: Wow, things are certainly getting _complicated_. See what I did there? Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I probably won't post another chapter until after Christmas. So, I wanted to wish everyone a early happy holidays! Anyway, as you can see the title has now changed to just, 'It's Complicated'. Just in case there was any confusion, this is the revised version and the original has been taken down. One last thing, this chapter is split up into two parts. So, you will notice this chapter says (I). The next chapter I post will continue off of this and have a (II).  
**

 **What did you think?...Let me know by reviewing! LillyXx**


	11. The Mess I've Made (II)

**I Got Nothing**

 **-Tony Stark**

* * *

"Mind explaining to me what's happening," Barton whispered quietly in my ear as he handed me the glass of water he promised.

I really wished there was something stronger than tasteless minerals in it at the moment. Out the corner of me eye, I could see Felicia eying me like a hawk. She could smell my fear and sense that there was deception in the air, I just knew it.

"Not at the moment, no." I muttered back to him.

I sighed and ventured off towards the bar.

I noticed Amber in a group of other overworked assistants which were also now gathering on the other side of the bar. She was Felicia's assistant and quite frankly the next top runway model. Amber was the spitting image of a runway model; just skinny enough, just the right skin tone, vivid colored eyes. It was easy to imagine her as the spokes model for some over rated designer. The look Amber gave me told me she was keeping a very close eye on me. I guess I couldn't bribe the bartender into slipping a little something-something into my drink now.

I set the water on the counter and ordered a coke on the rocks. My back was turned to the counter so I could see everything that was going on behind me. I always liked to observe other people. Maybe it was just my curious nature, but there was something interesting about watching others interact.

Barton took a seat next to me and sighed. "So, why did you just lie about not being an intern?"

"How do you know I lied?" I asked taking a sip of the glass of coke the bartender had slid my way.

"I know a lot of things about you," he said motioning for a drink. "It's my job."

"Well, you're job must suck." I scoffed focusing back on surveying the crowd.

There was a woman in the far corner who was trying to chat up Carl Grinder. He was famous for his designs for an underwater facility. I know it sounded crazy, but hey, anyone can dream. So far he had received very little to fund the project, but that didn't stop him from reaching the front page. Carl was an older middle eastern man. He wasn't old enough to considered an old man, but that didn't stop the grey hair from forming. It suited him nicely, though, made him look more sophisticated and added to his good looks.

The woman trying to chat him up was Carrie Greg. She was known more for making her rounds through richest men. Her had husband owned a small up and coming company, similar to Hienfield Co. The only difference was her company focused more on military advancements, much like the direction Stark Industries had taken. Yes, I said her company. Her husband, may he rest in peace, was killed in a terrible plane 'accident'. I say 'accident' because nearly a week after she announced her engagement to some eye candy actor. Their romance was short lived, however, and ended as soon as it started.

Carl was known for his morals and was at the moment deflecting every pathetic advancement Carrie attempted to make.

I kind of felt sorry for the woman.

To the left of me a bunch of men were gathered in a tight nit circle and were speaking in low tones. To everyone else it seemed like a small reunion for the group. What the outside looking in people didn't see were that wads of money they were passing around. I didn't know what they were betting on, but my money was on the dude with glasses.

He seemed more capable than the other three.

"Little too young to be drinking," a man greeted as he took the seat on the other side of me. I jumped in surprise of his voice turning to him.

My eyes narrowed, 'oh'. The man seated beside me gave off a sour vibe. His white hair and nearly balding head made me want to vomit. His suit was sleek and he was as well groomed as he could be.

Obadiah Stane. The last person I wanted to interact with a the moment.

"It's just soda," I said draining the rest of the liquid from the cup and setting it on the counter. He ordered a whiskey for himself and then spun his chair around to face the crowds as well.

"I guess it's fine then," he chuckled to himself before sticking a hand out towards me. "Abigail Hienfield, correct?"

I nodded taking hold of his hand. "Pleasure to see you again, Mr. Stane."

"Right, I interviewed you." He gave my hand a slight squeeze before letting go and grabbing the glass of whiskey waiting for him on the counter.

"I guess you meet a lot of people co-running Stark Indust-"

"CEO," he corrected a grimace passing his face for a split second. He took a large swig from his glass, letting the liquid settle in his mouth before swallowing it. A content look came to his face as he hummed in satisfaction. "Finest whiskey money can by," he said motioning to his glass with a slight raise. He turned and set the glass on the counter and looked back at me.

I watched as his eyes scanned over me like he was taking in every detail. Every line, every scar, every out of place speckle. I felt a chill run down my spine as he eyes landed on my face. His eyes seemed to be searching for something he finally settled on my eyes and opened his mouth to speak. "You look like your father," his tone was low and somewhat soft. "Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Once or twice," I said shaking off the uneasy feeling the was creeping up on me. "It's always nice to hear how much I look like a man."

Out the corner of my eye I could see Felicia slowly making her way towards tipsy-ville as she grabbed another drink off a passing server's tray. Maybe if she had enough to drink, she wouldn't remember half this night and I wouldn't be as dead.

Out of the other corner of my eye, I watched as Obadiah grabbed his glass once more and grimaced as he took a drink. The applause eventually died down and now the music had resumed, Tony was slowly making his way down the stairs.

"Some entrance," I muttered to myself as I motioned for another coke.

"You know," Obadiah said picking up where the conversation left off. "I knew your father."

"Did you now?" I asked sarcastically as the bartender handed me my drink. "Are you here to tell what an incredible person he was and how he will be missed?" I turned to him. "Cause I thought those condolences stopped three years ago."

"No," he chuckled looking down. He shook his head and looked back up at me. "No, I just wanted to introduce myself again. You may not remember me, but I did in fact partner with your parents a long time ago. You were just a baby I believe."

"It's nice to meet you," I said taking a sip from my glass.

"Since I'm here, however."

I let out an exasperated sigh and mumbled into my glass as I went for another drink.

"I noticed you seemed a little wary about the interviews," a wide smile ran across his face as if he had just won the jackpot. "I wanted you to know that it's just a formality. Nothing you should really worry about, since you applied for the internship I assume you expected some kind of-"

"My professor did actually," I corrected him a simple shrug. "He thought it would be a good learning experience."

"What a nice man he must be," Obadiah said placing his hands on the counter. He sighed, "Sometimes it's hard for people to believe something they can't understand," he paused and I met his eyes. His words seemed to be specifically geared towards me. Like he chose that one phrase, just for me. I shuddered. "Something as remarkable as a genius like yourself deserves to be shared with the world. I think this is the perfect way to get you started."

I creased my eyebrows together and thought over the man's words carefully before answering.

"I appreciate the thought, I think." I said muttering the last part.

"Great," he said gulping down the last of his drink and motioning for a new one.

It was beginning to look like he wasn't planning on leaving the dinner sober either.

"Our other intern is here tonight," he said. "Her name is Allison, if I'm not mistaken. Maybe you would like to meet her."

I creased my eyebrows together at his statement. "Um-"

I was cut short by the man of the hour hollering for Obadiah through the crowd of women flocking around him. Obadiah stood muttering 'damn kid' or something along those lines as he buttoned his suit jacket, a scorn on his face.

I watched Obadiah's behavior with curious eyes. In the media you only ever see him act friendly and kind towards the billionaire, yet, here he was silently cursing the man. He turned to me, a smile returning to his face as he noticed my stare.

"You should make you rounds, talk to a few people. A pretty girl like you shouldn't be sitting at some bar for the most of the night."

"I'll try," I said a tight smile coming to my face. The sense of uneasiness washed over me once more as his eyes scanned over me once more. It made my skin crawl. "Maybe I'll talk to the other intern of yours." I said sarcastically. He really wasn't very in tap to his company workers, was he?

"I'm sure that would make her very happy."

With a small nod he was making his was towards Tony who was struggling to get out of the crowd with his suit still intact. The smirk on the genius' face told me he was loving every second of it. I scoffed at him and shook my head.

"Oh," Obadiah said stopping halfway out. He spun on his foot and faced me once more. "My condolences."

A smile of amusement crossed his face as the words left his mouth. My stomach sunk as he turned away once more and this time didn't turn back. As the words sunk in, I narrowed my eyes at the man's back and jumped off the stool, leaving my drink.

I wasn't thirsty anymore.

"So, that's Obadiah Stane." Barton muttered as he followed me. He stood quiet through the entirety of my conversation with Mr. Stane. I kind of forget he was sitting on the other side of me.

"You don't have to follow me around," I said feeling a bit strange about him trailing me through out the evening.

"I'll be close by," he said.

I mingled around the dance floor for a bit, saying hello to the occasional person. I felt at unease and honestly, wanted to go back to my seat at the bar, but Obadiah had left the spot with a bitter feeling still hanging in the air. It wasn't until I spotted the young girl standing on the sidelines, out of everyone's way, the feeling of relief came over me. I excused myself from the small group I had been pulled into and hurried off to the side.

"Allison," I greeted sliding next to the young girl.

She looked up at me with wide, curious eyes. I was guessing I was the first one to address her since this stupid fiasco in the bathroom..

"Abigail," she said in mild relief. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to offend you earlier." she said apologetically. A small pout was on her lips as she grabbed hold of one of my hands. "I'm am honestly as huge fan of your family's work."

"My aunt runs the company," I said tugging my hand back and rubbing the back of my neck uncomfortably. "Not me."

"Oh, I know." she said tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I meant in general," she said awkwardly. "You're father is probably ten times smarter than Tony Stark."

The sentence was blurted out in what seemed to be the spur of the moment. At the same time a man cleared his throat, loudly. We both turned to see Obadiah and Tony Stark standing to the side of us. "Tony," Obadiah said a slight smirk peeking through his sober expression. "I would like for you to meet our newest editions to the company."

Allison's face went from slightly pink to a bright red in a matter of seconds. I felt second hand embarrassment as she began to stumble over her words in hopes to form a proper sentence.

Finally, she was able to choke out, "Mr. Stark, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hi," he greeted tightly looking down at the hand Allison decided to extend out to him in despisement.

"It really is an honor to meet you," she said, this time in a less shaky voice.

"I know," he replied turning away from her.

His attention settled on me, who was still trying to get over the second hand. My mind was still processing what had just happened and quite frankly, I found the situation kind of amusing.

"And who are you?" he asked eyeing me. I wasn't sure if he was for serious and didn't actually remember me or if it was all just a front.

"Abigail," I answered taking hold of his hand and giving him a firm shake.

"Abigail…." He trailed off looking for a last name. Pulling his hand back, he wiped his palm on his suit jacket and raised an eyebrow at me.

"You can just call me Abigail." I said a smile forming on my lips. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Stark."

"I'm sure," he said in a dead tone. "Aren't you a little too young to be attending an event like this alone?"

"Tony," Obadiah used a tone that said 'knock it off I'm warning you.'

"Just a minute, Obe." he said waving the older man off.

"No need to worry." I said. "I'm here with my aunt and on behalf of your company, of course."

"Your aunt?" he slipped his hands into his pockets. "You'll be staying for dinner, then."

"Sadly," I said giving a sigh.

A smile crossed his face. A tight, untrusting, bitter smile. "It was nice meeting you, Abigail." He then turned to Allison and offered her a nod. "I hope you're enjoying yourself."

"Of course," she answered eagerly.

"Good," he said.

Tony stalked off towards the group of men who had been previously posting bets on who knows what moments before. Obadiah stuck behind, a kind smile came to his face as he addressed Allison.

"Dinner will be served soon; you should go freshen up."

"Yes," Allison nodded quickly. "That sounds like a good idea."

He nodded at her and then excused himself, heading off towards where the over worked assistants were gathered.

As we sat down for dinner, it was easy to tell Andrea was less than pleased with me. I had avoided her for the greater half of the night, not wanting to go through press rounds. Allison, who was now a nervous wreck refused to go without me, so I guess both the interns were down for the count.

The two of took a seat together, a good distance away from Andrea and from Felicia. I hadn't explained my situation to Allison and if I was lucky, I wouldn't need to.

"Where's your date?" Allison asked as she scooted closer to the table. I glanced around the room for a minute before catching him slipping into the room.

"He's coming," I said with no real emotion in my voice. This night had been uneventful in other ways. Barton probably just wasted a night for nothing because the only thing happening to me was possible death by aunt.

"You two seem pretty cozy," she said as she playfully jutted me in the side.

"We may have gotten into a minor argument on the way over here," I quickly lied as he pulled up a chair next to me.

"Oh," she immediately said, her smile dropping. "I'm sorry."

"No worries," I replied offering Barton a smile as he slid into his seat. He returned my smile warily and scooted closer to the table. We were really selling it as a couple, huh? (Sarcasm)

"So," Barton said leaning into me. "Just so I'm understanding this, your aunt dislikes Stark Industries with a passion, so now you are trying to avoid the inevitable and not tell her you are an intern?"

"How did you-" I paused and rolled my eyes. "Never mind." I quickly said before he could say 'it's my job'. "What do you mean inevitable, everything is going great. Just two more hours and I'm home free."

He snorted," Okay."

Obadiah stood clanking a fork lightly against a glass in attempts to grab everyone's attention. The room ceased of chatter and all eyes were on him. He smiled a everyone and began to speak. I pretty much zoned him out until it came to dedications.

"There are a lot of people we would like to honor tonight," he began. "But, I'm afraid if I went through the entire list we would never get to the meal." Dry chuckles filled the room. "I would like to first and foremost officially welcome the new members to our family here at Stark Industries."

Oh, no.

Barton cast a look over my way, that kind of said 'I told you so,' but also 'I feel sorry for you'. I gulped and quietly scooted back my seat.

"I don't feel well," I muttered to Allison as I tried to without commotion slip out of my seat.

"Hold on," she said grabbing my arm. "He's about to introduce us." she seemed excited for it. I on the other hand felt sick to my stomach.

"As you all know," Obadiah began. "Stark Industries has recently invested in a program to help enlighten young minds."

"I really can't," I told Allison as I tried to tug my arm away, but man did she have a tight grip.

"Abigail chill," she said trying to pull me back to sit back down.

"Let go of me," I whispered yelled at her, but she didn't. It's like she knew I five seconds away from losing everything and wanted me to get caught. "What's your problem!"

"Allison Drake and -"

I tugged away from her harshly, violently stumbled back, and fell into a waiter carrying in glasses of drinks. Everything went crashing to the floor, including me. The room filled with gasps and murmurs as I just laid there, drowning in champagne and embarrassment.

"Abigail, I'm am so sorry." Allison hurriedly said as Barton stood from his seat and helped me up.

"-and Abigail Hienfield," Obadiah finished off with a clear of his throat.

I was humiliated, worried, anxious, and I just felt everything at once. I looked over at Barton who was shrugging off his jacket and then I glanced over at the woman I was really worried about and let me tell you, you have never truly known fear until you have looked into the eyes of an angry Felicia Waters. Until you stand there, dress soaked completely, hair drowned in champagne, with no excuses to offer, and watch as the beady eyed woman's lips furl up in disgust at you, face turns red, and back straightens like a board.

I have seen a lot of scary things in my life, but Felicia was a whole different kind of scary. She was someone, although small, very powerful. She was the only thing keeping me from my future, and I had a feeling she was just about ready to take every last thing away from me at the moment.

Barton draped his jacket over my shoulders and gave me an awkward pat. I was frozen in place, under the eyes of a whole bunch of people who didn't matter, yet meant so much at the moment since I was under their judging eyes.

"I-" I began, but stopped because I was unsure what to say.

Obadiah cleared his throat and rounded the table to where I was standing. "My deepest apologies, Abigail." He began shooing away the servant who was now trying to collect the broken glass off the floor. "Help can be so clumsy." Heads nodded in agreement and a woman even came over and patted me on the arm. "Let's get you cleaned up."

I quickly grabbed my jacket from coat check and pulled it on. Barton was outside hailing down a cab and I was as anxious as ever. Felicia kept a level head for most of the dinner, but that didn't stop her from cutting her eyes at me several times. As much as I was humiliated, she probably felt ten times more worse. Appearance was everything to her.

As glance at each person passing me by, on their way out and my heart sank as I saw her approaching. She stopped beside me and handed the coat check boy her ticket. She held her purse at her side and glanced over at me, her eyes cutting into me.

"Feli-"

"Now is not the time," she said cutting me off. Her tone was short and straight to the point. "You have humiliated my company," she said leaning in. I made note of the way she said her company, as if it was always hers. As if it was rightfully hers.

"It's not-,"

She scoffed, "We will talk about this tomorrow." She pushed past me her assistant following closely behind.

The taxi ride back to my apartment was silent. Barton was interest in looking out the window and I was interested in my hands. Barton finally broke the silence as he climbed the stairs to my apartment. He insisted on walking me up.

"How do you know your friend, Allison?" he asked as he stepped onto the landing.

"I know her from work," I said brushing it off. "I would hardly call her a friend," I muttered sulkily. Barton silently nodded and leaned in.

"Just be careful around her, alright?" he said quietly.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What? You think that she's-"

"I don't know," he cut me off. "But you can't trust anyone."

"But, I'm supposed to trust you." I countered looking up at him. "I don't know anything about you. I don't even know your first name."

"I'm one of the good guys, Abigail." he said with a sigh.

"Then, who are the bad guys?" I asked crossing my arms.

"I don't know," he said shaking his head. "But, I'm going to find out." "Just, be careful around her from now on." I nodded and opened my front door.

"Goodnight, Barton." I said closing the door. I let out a sigh and leaned against the door. Now, I have something else to worry about. I slid down to the ground and rested my head on my knees.


End file.
